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

A new era starts in the Baltic countries on February 8. On that day, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are switching off their connection to the Russian electricity grid, 10 months ahead of schedule. The move is merely symbolic,

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.