By Olha Hembik | 2025-02-19

WARSAW – "Goodbye, Russia. Goodbye, Lenin! We did it," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said after receiving telephone confirmation that the Baltic states' energy systems had synchronized with European grids on February 9.

On February 8, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the Soviet-era BRELL power grid. They had synchronized their electrical systems with continental Europe's by 2.05pm the next day.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had been connected to the Russian electrical grid since Soviet times, Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament, told Kontur.

"[The Baltic states' disconnection from BRELL] is in any case another plus for Europe's energy security. And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has one less lever of influence," he said.

The Baltic countries' prime ministers agreed to join the zone back in 2007, and the countries applied in 2009, according to LSM+, a Latvian news channel.

They originally scheduled disconnection from BRELL for 2026, but the war in Ukraine accelerated the withdrawal from the system shared with Russia and Belarus.

"The Baltics prepared to separate from a 'relic of the Soviet past,' meaning BRELL. They purchased equipment for compensatory stations that could maintain the required frequency and independently balance electricity. They built new infrastructure and cross-border connections," said Galina Molochkova, a Latvian journalist who specializes in energy issues.

"In total, almost €2 billion was spent to prepare to disconnect from BRELL. Eighty-five percent of this amount was financed by the EU [European Union]," Molochkova told Kontur.

The Baltic countries have not purchased Russian and Belarusian electricity for a long time, so the disconnection step is symbolic.

"For example, Estonia hasn't since 2010," said Molochkova. "Latvia has legally banned the import of Russian electricity since May 2022, following the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine."

However, BRELL still provided electricity balancing. All the system participants had to operate at the same frequency, and its stability depended on Russia, the largest supplier.

Any disruption at Russian power plants, as long as the Baltic states were plugged into BRELL, would affect consumers in the Baltics, BBC reported February 7.

"The cost of synchronization for the Baltic countries and Poland [to disconnect from the BRELL grid and connect to the European system] is €1.6 billion. The EU took on most of the costs," said Goncharenko.

'Everything is running smoothly'

The Baltic governments thoroughly prepared for the connection.

"The transition... was accompanied by heated discussions on the streets and on social networks and, at the same time, considerable calm in real life," said Molochkova.

"There were ... cases of outright disinformation. In response, the governments in all three countries have made the transition process as transparent as possible," she said.

"There was no panic buying, and there were no lines at automated teller machines."

Consumers in the Baltic states did not experience any inconvenience.

"Everything is running smoothly, and we still have electricity," wrote Jaanika Merilo, director of the Department of Digital Health and Care under the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs, in Ukrainian on Facebook February 9.

Immediately after disconnecting, Latvian workers cut the high-voltage cables in Vilaka, 100 meters from the Russian border. Attendees of the event received bits of severed cable as souvenirs.

Now LitPol Link, an overhead power transmission line, forms the Baltic countries' main connection with continental Europe's power grid. It connects Poland and Lithuania through their shared border.

Lithuania connected to Sweden via NordBalt, an undersea power cable. Two undersea lines, Estlink 1 and Estlink 2, connect Estonia to Finland.

A slap in Moscow's face

"Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail," wrote Kaja Kallas, former Estonian prime minister and now the EU's top diplomat, in English on X February 7. "This is a victory for freedom and European unity."

"By ending the energy dependence of the Baltic states on Russia, we are leaving the aggressor without the option of using energy as a weapon against us," Reuters quoted Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna as saying February 8.

For the Baltic countries, energy independence means diversifying their energy suppliers and energy balance, analysts say. It means an opportunity to use more renewable energy sources -- the sun and wind, they say.

The Baltic countries' disconnection from BRELL portends "the destruction of the countries of the region," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said February 9.

"Russia is losing markets, so it is not surprising that Russian propagandists are now trying to convince citizens of the Baltic region that disconnection could significantly increase electricity prices and that will lead to inflation," said Stanislav Zhelikhovsky, a political scientist specializing in international relations.

"Russia is also losing politically. Yet again Moscow has been slapped in the face by countries that were once in its sphere of influence, countries that were part of the Soviet Union," he told Kontur.

"More and more countries want to distance themselves from Moscow. No one wants to cooperate with it."

That contention holds equally true in the South Caucasus, where Azerbaijan accuses Russia of accidentally shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner December 25 and Armenia is now pursuing closer ties with Washington and Brussels.