The Baltic states are set to sever ties with Russia's power grid that date back to the 1950s, and instead integrate further with the European Union, as the suspected sabotage of subsea cables has spurred efforts to strengthen regional security.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday, the region's operators said, part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more

Three Baltic states yesterday cut ties with Russia’s power grid to join the European Union’s network, the culmination of a years-long process that gained urgency with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lithuania was the first of the three Baltic countries to decouple from the Moscow-controlled electricity network, Lithuania’s state-run grid operator Litgrid said yesterday.

Formerly part of the Soviet Union, the staunch supporters of Ukraine switched off the Russian grid's transmission lines on Saturday.

Because of the Baltic decoupling, the energy system in Kaliningrad will no longer have grid connection to mainland Russia. The exclave is located between Lithuania and Poland and has not border with the rest of Russia.

VILNIUS - The three Baltic states will on Feb 9 connect to the European Union’s power grid after they seamlessly severed Soviet-era ties with Russia’s network, a shift motivated by security concerns.

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.

More than 30 years after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will join the EU's grid.

After years of preparation, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia will disconnect from their Russian-controlled electricity grid this weekend, erasing one of the last traces of their Soviet past. CNN’s Clare Sebastian explains the security concerns,