Baltic nations count final hours to ending electricity ties to Russia
Thursday, 6 February 2025 () Nearly 3 1/2 decades after leaving the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this weekend will flip a switch to end electricity-grid connections to neighboring Russia and Belarus. The severing of electricity ties to oil- and gas-rich Russia and switching to European grids is steeped in geopolitical and symbolic significance. Work toward it sped up after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine three years ago, battering Moscow’s EU relations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the Russian energy sector has taken relevant steps to ensure the smooth disconnection on its side.
After the disconnection plans were announced, propaganda campaigns cropped up on social media and in printed leaflets in city streets that issued fake-news warnings about blackouts, severe energy shortages and sky-high energy bills for consumers.
Thursday, 6 February 2025 ()
