Amid tensions with Russia over the Kaliningrad rail link, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said his country is ready to face “unfriendly actions” including disconnection from regional power grid BRELL.
Russia had threatened consequences against its Baltic neighbour after Lithuania declared it was blocking rail transit of Russian goods to the Kaliningrad enclave due to sanctions imposed by the European Union amid the Ukraine war.
Reports claim Lithuania had installed equipment linked to the power grid in Poland to connect the European line in case Russia blocks electricity supply.
Kaliningrad has become the centre of a new row with the war underway in Ukraine for the past four months. The city is located between Poland and Lithuania with a strategically important rail link running through Lithuania. Both Poland and Lithuania are NATO members.
Watch: Why is Kaliningrad at center of row between Russia and Lithuania?
Lithuania had shut the transport route for steel and other metal works coming from Russia under EU sanctions angering Putin’s regime.
Germany backed its NATO ally asserting that Russia should “not take any measures that violate international law”. Germany said it will deploy more troops along Lithuania to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank bordering Russia.
Meanwhile, another Baltic state Estonia accussed Russia of “escalating its rhetoric and activities” with simulating missile attacks against targets in the Baltics including airspace violations with helicopters ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid.
Estonia’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the Russian ambassador over airspace violation near the Koidula checkpoint where it said a Russian helicopter entered Estonian airspace without permission.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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