Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are preparing for Saturday, when they would disconnect from the Russian electricity grid, thus definitively severing their energy ties with Moscow, which date back to the Soviet era. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, for a symbolic ceremony. Even though Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been part of the EU and NATO since 2004, preparations for integration into the European electricity network have stretched over several years, due to numerous technical and financial problems, as well as the need to diversify their supply sources. Disconnection from the Russian network became even more urgent after the invasion of Ukraine.
