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Sweden and Lithuania have complained that Russian warships have repeatedly interrupted the installation of the line
ENLARGE
A German submarine joins NATO exercises off the Norwegian coast. PHOTO: MARIT HOMMEDAL/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
By
CHRISTINA ZANDER
May 6, 2015 1:03 p.m. ET
6 COMMENTS
STOCKHOLM—An undersea power cable aimed at reducing the Baltic states’ energy dependence on Russia has emerged as the latest point of friction in a region increasingly enveloped in a Cold War atmosphere.
Sweden and Lithuania, which are at either end of the proposed 280-mile electricity line, have complained that Russian warships have repeatedly interrupted the installation.
The latest such incident, the third in two months, occurred last week when the Russian Navy ordered a vessel involved in the cable-laying work to leave the area, according to Sweden and Lithuania. Although the vessel was in Lithuania’s exclusive economic zone, it was sent away for as much as 10 hours.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, which has summoned the Russian ambassador to express “a strong protest”, said Wednesday it would consider legal action against Russia were a similar incident to happen again. Sweden backed its Baltic neighbor, with its Foreign Ministry saying it took the matter “very seriously.”
RELATED ARTICLES
Tension over the power line tops months of run-ins between Russia and its smaller Scandinavian and Baltic neighbors in the air and undersea: Russian fighter jets have flown with their transponders turned off close to both military and civilian flights, while Sweden and Finland suspect Russian submarinesmay patrolled off their coastlines.
ENLARGE
Since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine last year, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia—which were long under Soviet control and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004—have accelerated efforts to ramp up their defense capabilities. On Monday, more than 13,000 Estonians gathered at several points across the country for 10 days of military training and exercises. Meantime, naval forces from 10 NATO countries and Sweden are conducting a two-week anti-submarine exercise in the Norwegian Sea.
In Sweden, which doesn’t belong to NATO and has traditionally sought to maintain good relations with Russia, the string of incidents has alarmed politicians.
“Sweden cannot tolerate this kind of harassment from Russia,” said Allan Widman,member of the Liberal Party and chairman of parliamentary defense committee. “It is obvious that if an accident would occur it could quickly escalate into military violence,” Mr. Widman said.
ENLARGE
The purpose of the high-voltage power line between Sweden and Lithuania, known as NordBalt, is to better integrate the Nordic and Baltic electricity markets and improve Lithuania’s security of supply. Since the 2009 closure of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, one that was similar to the infamous Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, Lithuania has been dependent on Russia and Belarus for a majority of its energy imports.
In 2013, Lithuania imported 55% of its electricity and 90% of its petroleum products from Russia and Belarus, while all of its gas came from Russia, according to data from the European Commission.
Work has resumed on the NordBalt cable, according to the Lithuanian power grid operator Litgrid. It and its Swedish counterpart, Svenska kraftnät, said they were confident the line would enter service on schedule, at the end of 2015.
—Liis Kängsepp in Estonia contributed to this article.
Write to Christina Zander atchristina.zander@wsj.com
http://www.wsj.com/articles/underse...etween-russia-and-baltics-1430931797?mod=e2fb
A German submarine joins NATO exercises off the Norwegian coast. PHOTO: MARIT HOMMEDAL/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
By
CHRISTINA ZANDER
May 6, 2015 1:03 p.m. ET
6 COMMENTS
STOCKHOLM—An undersea power cable aimed at reducing the Baltic states’ energy dependence on Russia has emerged as the latest point of friction in a region increasingly enveloped in a Cold War atmosphere.
Sweden and Lithuania, which are at either end of the proposed 280-mile electricity line, have complained that Russian warships have repeatedly interrupted the installation.
The latest such incident, the third in two months, occurred last week when the Russian Navy ordered a vessel involved in the cable-laying work to leave the area, according to Sweden and Lithuania. Although the vessel was in Lithuania’s exclusive economic zone, it was sent away for as much as 10 hours.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, which has summoned the Russian ambassador to express “a strong protest”, said Wednesday it would consider legal action against Russia were a similar incident to happen again. Sweden backed its Baltic neighbor, with its Foreign Ministry saying it took the matter “very seriously.”
RELATED ARTICLES
- Baltic Neighbors Gird Against Russia(April 29)
- Alarm Over Russia Draws Volunteers to Defend Estonia (Oct. 2, 2014)
- Sweden’s Submarine Hunt Evokes Cold War Memories (Oct. 20, 2014)
Tension over the power line tops months of run-ins between Russia and its smaller Scandinavian and Baltic neighbors in the air and undersea: Russian fighter jets have flown with their transponders turned off close to both military and civilian flights, while Sweden and Finland suspect Russian submarinesmay patrolled off their coastlines.
Since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine last year, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia—which were long under Soviet control and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004—have accelerated efforts to ramp up their defense capabilities. On Monday, more than 13,000 Estonians gathered at several points across the country for 10 days of military training and exercises. Meantime, naval forces from 10 NATO countries and Sweden are conducting a two-week anti-submarine exercise in the Norwegian Sea.
In Sweden, which doesn’t belong to NATO and has traditionally sought to maintain good relations with Russia, the string of incidents has alarmed politicians.
“Sweden cannot tolerate this kind of harassment from Russia,” said Allan Widman,member of the Liberal Party and chairman of parliamentary defense committee. “It is obvious that if an accident would occur it could quickly escalate into military violence,” Mr. Widman said.
The purpose of the high-voltage power line between Sweden and Lithuania, known as NordBalt, is to better integrate the Nordic and Baltic electricity markets and improve Lithuania’s security of supply. Since the 2009 closure of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, one that was similar to the infamous Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, Lithuania has been dependent on Russia and Belarus for a majority of its energy imports.
In 2013, Lithuania imported 55% of its electricity and 90% of its petroleum products from Russia and Belarus, while all of its gas came from Russia, according to data from the European Commission.
Work has resumed on the NordBalt cable, according to the Lithuanian power grid operator Litgrid. It and its Swedish counterpart, Svenska kraftnät, said they were confident the line would enter service on schedule, at the end of 2015.
—Liis Kängsepp in Estonia contributed to this article.
Write to Christina Zander atchristina.zander@wsj.com
http://www.wsj.com/articles/underse...etween-russia-and-baltics-1430931797?mod=e2fb
