The Baltic power transmission system operators (TSOs) have notified Russia and Belarus of their intention to decouple from the Russian-controlled IPS/UPS electricity system in February 2025, ERR reports. Estonia’s Elering, Latvia’s Augstsprieguma Tikls (AST), and Lithuania’s Litgrid informed the Russian and Belarusian TSOs that they would not extend the BRELL parallel energy system operation agreement….
The Baltic power transmission system operators (TSO) will notify Russia and Belarus about their decision to withdraw from the so-called BRELL agreement and the Moscow-controlled IPS/UPS transmission system in the coming weeks, Lithuania’s Ministry of Energy announced, BNS reports. The Baltic TSOs are fully ready to synchronise their power grids with the continental European system…
The Lithuanian government plans to invest around EUR 17.56mn in counter-mobility measures over 2024-2027, the Ministry of Defence announced, BNS reports. The plan is to deploy counter-mobility defence installations along the border with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad (Königsberg) region by April 2025, reserve barriers on major national roads and bridges by November 2025, and drainage…
Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has requested financial support from the EU to strengthen the protection of the country’s border with Russia, BNS reports. In a letter to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Bilotaite emphasised the need to modernise and update border surveillance systems, with costs estimated at nearly EUR 16mn and required…
A major loophole in EU sanctions against Russia is being exploited via Belarus, evidenced by a luxury car traffic jam at the Latvia-Belarus border, LSM reports. Although luxury car exports to Russia are banned, they are allowed to Belarus, resulting in a 50-fold increase in car exports to Belarus via Latvia. This suggests that many…
Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS) prevented a total of 2,770 people from illegally entering Latvia from Belarus in the first half of 2024, LSM reports. Only 12 people were admitted to Latvia on humanitarian grounds. VRS chief Guntis Pujats said that “very massive attempts” had been made to cross the border from Belarus to Poland…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda supports Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions so as to improve the country’s defence capabilities, BNS reports. The Defence Ministry has proposed the motion to the parliament, the Seimas. The ministry highlighted the need for cluster munitions in Lithuania’s defence strategy, noting that adversaries like Russia and Belarus would…
A group of 24 migrants have filed a class action lawsuit against Lithuania, seeking compensation of EUR 5,000 each for their arbitrary detention in 2021-2022, BNS reports. The claimants allege that the Lithuanian government unlawfully detained at least 4,000 migrants for months without judicial review during an emergency declared due to irregular border crossings from…
Lithuania has implemented stricter controls on grain imports from Russia and other high-risk countries and territories as of 18 March 2024, BNS reports. Under the new rules, all shipments by land to the Lithuanian market or for export will be inspected. The Agriculture Ministry expects the controls to be extended to include checks on the…