The Russian authorities have decided to unilaterally "change" the country's maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea.
Russia is waging a hybrid war against the Baltic states
Journalists of The Moscow Times analysed the draft resolution of the Russian government, published on the portal of legal acts. At the same time, it is indicated that this document was prepared by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
Russia intends to declare part of the water area in the east of the Gulf of Finland, as well as near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region, as its internal sea waters.
Russia wants to change the geographic coordinates of the points that determine the position of the baselines from which the width of the territorial sea of the RF is measured, as well as the adjacent zone near the coast and islands.
On the border with Finland, the government of Russia intends to adjust the coordinates in the area of the islands of Yahi, Sommers, Gogland, Rodscher, Maly Tuters, Vigrund, as well as near the northern entrance cape of the Narva River, according to the annex to the cabinet resolution.
On the border with Lithuania, the area of the Curonian Spit in the Gulf of Gdansk, the areas of Cape Taran, the cape south of Cape Taran, and the Baltic Spit came under review.
What motivates the Russians
The authors of the project claim that the current geographic coordinates, established by a resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers from 1985, "do not fully correspond to the current geographic situation".
The points were recorded "according to small-scale marine navigation charts", which, in turn, are based on works of the middle of the 20th century, and this "does not make it possible to determine the outer limit of the internal sea waters" of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defence proposes to partially "declare invalid" the 40-year-old Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, which regulates borders in the Baltic Sea region. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Lithuania have not yet officially commented on the "border review" document.
Russia may attack the Baltic states
After the invasion of Ukraine, Western countries began to consider the possibility of an attack by the Russian Federation on NATO members. At the same time, many consider the Baltic countries as the goal of the Kremlin.
And recently, the deputy chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi, said that the RF can capture the Baltic states in seven days, while NATO's reaction will be longer.
The special services of the Federal Republic of Germany came to the conclusion that the aggressor country Russia has already begun active preparations for a large-scale conflict with the West.
This statement is confirmed by the rapid reorganisation of the enemy army, the movement of troops and the placement of missiles in the west of the country.
In addition, Russia began to rapidly increase the production of weapons.
The latter could result in Russia doubling its military power over the next five years compared to today, especially in the field of conventional weapons. It can no longer be ruled out that Russia will attack at least part of NATO territory from 2026, for example, the Baltic states or Finland, the secret report states.