Lithuania said on Saturday it had disconnected its electricity system from Russia's power grid, part of a plan which the three Baltic states say will integrate them more closely with the European Union and boost security.

Lithuania took a significant step by disconnecting its electricity system from Russia’s power grid. This is part of a broader plan that the three Baltic states—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—have been working on for years.

By 9:09 a.m. on Saturday, the electricity systems of all three Baltic states had successfully disconnected from the Russian-controlled IPS/UPS system, and are now operating independently in island mode before synchronizing with the Continental European grid on Sunday.