Amid NATO's ongoing military buildup in the Baltic countries, and former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves' recent warning that Russia would “lose St. Petersburg” if it dared attack the region, its current leaders have said that the countries have something much more tangible to ‘fear' from the east.
Speaking at a press conference of the Baltic countries' prime ministers on Monday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis complained that even though Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have now been part of the European Union for close to 15 years, they remain stuck with an electrical power transmission system connecting them to Russia.
Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas assured his colleague that the Baltics are set to strike a deal with Poland later this month on how to integrate with the continental European grid. “The separation of our electricity system from Russia and its integration into Europe will increase our security,” Ratas said.
The Baltic states are part of the Soviet-era BRELL energy ring linking Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and remain dependent on the system despite repeated pledges to exit and join the European grid with grant support from the EU's ‘Connecting Europe' fund.
According to Finland's Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, the Baltic countries may face a ‘hybrid threat' from Russia via the electricity grid if Moscow withdrawals from the BRELL ring in the…
