A controversial Russian proposal redefining its eastern Baltic Sea maritime border has been removed from an official government website for draft legislation but not before it had stirred up alarm and confusion among neighbouring NATO member countries Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Estonia.
Russia’s Defence Ministry had asserted that a Soviet-era measurement of the maritime border area dating from 1985 had been based on less precise mid-20th century nautical charts, which lacked the exactitude of today’s modern cartographical coordinates.
As reported by some Russian media, the Defence Ministry proposed updating the coordinates used to measure the strip of territorial waters off Russia’s Baltic coastline, including that of its islands in the Baltic Sea
On Wednesday, the proposal was removed from the portal and replaced by a message saying, “draft deleted”.
The draft did not spell out just how the border might be adjusted — whether the proposed changes would shift the border or merely clarify it. Nor was it made clear whether other states abutting the Baltic Sea had been consulted by Moscow.
According to Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Moscow had not been in touch.
“The Finnish authorities are analysing 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 based on facts,” President Stubb posted on X on May 22.
Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told YLE, the Finnish broadcaster, that she was disinclined to view the Russian move as a provocation. Nonetheless, a move by Russia to challenge borders, would be a violation of the applicable UN convention, something guaranteed to result in Moscow having “the whole world against it.”
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told the Swedish news agency TT that Moscow had no right to “unilaterally decide on new borders”. He noted that Russia had signed the United Nations convention that regulates how to make such changes. “Both we and Finland assume that Russia — which is a signatory party to that convention — lives up to that responsibility,“ he said.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis termed the Russian proposal an “obvious escalation“ against the NATO military alliance and the European Union, saying it required “an appropriately firm response”. Landsbergis asserted that Russia was “attempting to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea.“
“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,“ Minister Landsbergis wrote on X.
Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited Lithuania midweek, said it appeared to be “another example of the thoroughly perfidious kind of hybrid warfare that Putin is practicing,“ the German news agency dpa reported.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna wrote on X, “Estonia is in close contact with #Finland & #Lithuania about Russia’s alleged plans to shift borders in the Baltic Sea. We expect their steps to be in line with international law. I can’t rule out that the report is an attempt to sow confusion, but we are keeping a cool head.”
Late Wednesday, Russia’s Interfax news agency cited an unnamed military diplomatic source as saying Moscow does not intend to revise the border or the width of its territorial waters.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters there was “nothing political“ in the Defence Ministry’s proposal. “You see how tensions and the level of confrontation are escalating, especially in the Baltic region. This requires appropriate steps from our relevant bodies to ensure our security,“ Peskov said.
