Russian authorities have announced plans to alter Russia’s maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea.
A draft prepared by the Russian defense ministry proposes designating a portion of the waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland, as well as areas near the Russian cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region, as its internal maritime waters.
This entails adjusting the geographic coordinates of baseline points used to measure the width of Russia’s territorial waters and the adjacent zone, including coastal areas and islands.
“The passage of the state border of the Russian Federation at sea will change,” a summary of the draft decree said. If approved, the decree would come into force in January 2025.
Russia’s defense ministry has justified the alterations by arguing that an earlier Soviet measurement of the border from 1985 used mid-20th century nautical charts that did not fully correspond to more modern cartographical coordinates.
It was not immediately clear from the draft decree exactly how the border would be adjusted and what, if any, consultation had taken place with other states around the Baltic Sea.
Finnish and Lithuanian reaction
Russia’s proposed changes have drawn sharp criticism from both Finnish and Lithuanian officials.
“Another Russian hybrid operation is underway, this time attempting to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea,” Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister, wrote on social media platform X.
“This is an obvious escalation against NATO and the EU and must be met with an appropriately firm response,” he added.
Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, said: “The Finnish authorities are analyzing the reports in the Russian media concerning the maritime zones in the Gulf of Finland.Another Russian hybrid operation is underway, this time attempting to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea. This is an obvious escalation against NATO and the EU, and must be met with an appropriately firm response.
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) May 22, 2024
“The political leadership is monitoring the situation closely. Russia has not been in contact with Finland on the matter. Finland acts as always: calmly and based on facts.”
Elina Valtonen, the country’s foreign minister, said that Russia should abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and said that Russia was sowing “confusion.”The Finnish authorities are analyzing the reports in the Russian media concerning the maritime zones in the Gulf of Finland. The political leadership is monitoring the situation closely. Russia has not been in contact with Finland on the matter. Finland acts as always: calmly and…
— Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) May 22, 2024
In an interview for TVP World, General Jarosław Kraszewski, a former director of the Armed Forces Supervision Department at the Polish National Security Bureau, said the move was designed to incite NATO states.Mediatietojen mukaan Venäjällä ollaan mahdollisesti tarkistamassa Suomenlahden merivyöhykkeiden määrittelyä. Ulkoministeriö selvittää yksityiskohtia. YK:n merioikeusyleissopimus sisältää määräykset rantavaltion merivyöhykkeiden määrittelystä; myös niiden tarkistamisesta. Lähdemme…
— Elina Valtonen (@elinavaltonen) May 22, 2024
“It’s going to be a provocation,” he said. “Russia is afraid of Finland and Sweden after joining NATO because the Baltic Sea became the interior waters of NATO. To use the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation is a bit complicated, in my opinion, because right now it is a waste of time and money,” he added.
