Neighbouring countries alarmed
Kremlin: Tensions in the Baltic Sea region are increasing
May 22, 2024, 2:09 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
The signals are contradictory: The Russian Foreign Ministry is planning to shift the Baltic Sea borders, diplomatic circles are playing down the issue, the Kremlin is talking about growing tensions. And the neighboring countries? They are deeply concerned about “Russia’s aggressive and revisionist policies.”
The Russian presidential office has reacted cautiously to reports of plans to shift borders in the Baltic Sea. The Kremlin referred to the Defense Ministry for details. The presidential office said there was no political background. Tensions in the Baltic Sea region are increasing.
The background is an initiative by the Ministry of Defense to “determine geographical coordinates” to determine the border lines in various parts of the Baltic Sea, published on Tuesday evening in the Russian government’s legal database. The reason for the project was that the old coordinates established during Soviet times were inaccurate and did not allow a continuous border line to be drawn. The Defense Ministry specifically referred to a maritime area south of the Russian islands in the Gulf of Finland and to sections near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region. The approach allows “the corresponding sea area to be used as a Russian inland sea,” the document says.
Meanwhile, several Russian agencies, citing a source in military-diplomatic circles, reported that the proposed law was not about expanding Russian territory. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the project had no political background. In the afternoon, the initiative finally disappeared from the legal database without giving any reasons. What significance this could have is still unclear.
“Conscious, targeted and escalating provocation”
The alarm bells were still ringing in the neighboring states. “This is further evidence that Russia’s aggressive and revisionist policies pose a threat to the security of neighboring countries and the whole of Europe,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said. Russia’s actions could be viewed as a “conscious, targeted and escalating provocation” intended to intimidate neighboring countries and their societies. Accordingly, the Russian envoy should be summoned to give a detailed explanation. Lithuania wants to coordinate a response with its partners.
The assessment in Finland was somewhat more cautious. The authorities there first want to check the information from Russian media. “Russia has not contacted Finland on this matter. Finland acts as always: calmly and based on facts,” wrote President Alexander Stubb on X.
Sweden’s army chief Micael Biden warned of Moscow’s ambitions in the Baltic Sea – especially with regard to the Swedish island of Gotland. “I am sure that Putin even has both eyes on Gotland,” Biden told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. “Putin’s goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea. (…) The Baltic Sea is just as important to Putin as it is to us that it remains open and safe.”