Latvia was among the three Baltic states that disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday (February 8), with energy minister Kaspars Melnis calling it a "historical moment". The move was part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more closely with the European Union and boost security.

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are now unplugged from Russia's electricity grid and have joined the European Union's network.Plans for the move - which have been in the works since 2007 - were seen as essential for European security and had been brought brought forward after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The switch from the Soviet-era grid, "controlled almost entirely by Moscow," had "been in the works since 2007" but was spurred forward after Russia's full-scale in