05/23/2024 – Translated from Ukrainian via Google and OFP
The Russian Federation is unilaterally going to declare part of the Baltic Sea as its internal sea waters. That is, redraw maritime borders at their own discretion without consultation with neighbors.
The Russian Ministry of Defense proposes to partially invalidate the 40-year-old resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers regulating borders at sea, and to “update” the coordinates of the state border in the area of territorial waters off the mainland coast and the Russian islands in the Baltic Sea, bordering Lithuania and Finland.
This “geographical proposal” is further evidence of the continuation of Russia’s so-called hybrid war against NATO member countries. The Kremlin is systematically preparing for new provocations against neighboring countries.
The border revision document was presented almost simultaneously with the start of Russian exercises using tactical nuclear weapons.
In Lithuania and Finland, such actions of the Russian Federation are considered as a deliberate, targeted provocation with the aim of intimidating neighboring states.
About how Russia provokes a conflict with Lithuania and Finland – in the material OBOZ.UA
According to Stalin’s manual
The Russian authorities have decided to expand their territorial waters in the Baltic Sea near the state border of Finland and Lithuania, according to a draft government resolution. The document states that the list of current coordinates was approved on January 15, 1985 “based on small-scale maritime navigation charts.” According to Russians, it needs changes because it does not correspond to the “modern geographical situation.” By the way, Stalin also used an almost identical point about the changed geographical situation when announcing an ultimatum to Finland in 1939.
According to the Ministry of Defense document, Moscow intends to declare as its internal sea waters part of the water area in the east of the Gulf of Finland (in the area of the islands of Jähi, Sommers, Gotland, Rodsher, Maly Tyuters, Vigrund), as well as near the northern entrance cape of the Narva River in Estonia and near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region. On the border with Lithuania, the Russians want to reconsider the territory in the zone of the Curonian Spit, Cape Taran, the cape south of Taran, as well as the Baltic Spit.
To do this, “the geographic coordinates of the points that determine the position of the baselines from which the width of the territorial sea of the Russian Federation, as well as the adjacent zone off the coast and islands, is measured” will be changed. At the same time, the project does not contain an application with a new list of coordinates of such points that would display the state border. That is, the Russians have not yet decided where exactly they plan to stay.
The Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that “Russia’s direct exit lines in the Gulf of Finland have no continuation and do not close on the territory of the country.” The implementation of such a plan will change the border of the Russian Federation in the Baltic Sea and will allow it to be used as internal sea waters of Russia.
Reaction of Finland and Lithuania
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said Russia’s actions are viewed as a deliberate, targeted, escalating provocation aimed at intimidating neighboring countries.
“This is yet another proof that Russia’s aggressive and revisionist policy poses a threat to the security of neighboring countries and Europe as a whole,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Lithuania’s response to the Russian Federation’s actions will be coordinated with its partners.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry also commented on Moscow’s actions. “The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea contains provisions for determining the maritime zones of coastal states, including their revision. We assume that Russia, as a party to the Convention, will act accordingly. It should be remembered that causing confusion is also a hybrid influence. Finland will not be embarrassed by this,” – said Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.
The head of the Finnish parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Kimmo Kiljunen, said that Russia did not inform about plans to change its maritime borders in the Baltic.
“It’s surprising that it’s happening this way. Usually such things are discussed and agreed upon. Now we find ourselves in a somewhat unexpected position,” Kiljunen said.
Sweden prepares to defend Gotland
Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces Mikael Büden said in an interview with RND that Putin also has his eye on the Åland Islands.
“Yes, I am sure that Putin even has both eyes on Gotland. Putin’s goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea. He probably also has his eye on the Åland Islands. The Russians are closely monitoring what is happening at the entrances and exits to the Baltic Sea,” said He.
Buden noted that if the Russian Federation takes control and closes off the Baltic Sea, this will affect life in Sweden and other Baltic Sea countries.
“We cannot allow this. The Baltic Sea should not become Putin’s playground, where he can intimidate NATO members,” the commander-in-chief emphasized. He added that the war in Ukraine changed the political situation in Europe and Sweden had to arm Gotland. Now she can use this island for offensive operations if necessary.
“We are very interested in keeping the sea route open and in monitoring what is happening above and below the surface of the water. From Gotland we can help other NATO countries in the Baltic Sea live in safety,” concluded Büden.
Russia wants to see NATO’s reaction
There is one important factor in Russia’s desire to unilaterally change the borders in the Baltic – the North Atlantic Alliance, which includes Lithuania and, fortunately, Finland. It is clear that such a “game with geographical maps” in the current geopolitical situation is not just a sea and a border. This is a test of NATO’s response to Russia’s attempt to unilaterally change the borders, albeit maritime, of the Alliance’s member states.
So to speak, to probe potential actions in response to capture. And Putin’s further actions will depend on what NATO’s reaction will be – further calls “to respect international law” or a forceful response, for example, the ousting of warships of the Russian Baltic Fleet from this water area, which belongs to Russia only from Moscow’s point of view.
If Western retaliatory movements are again sluggish, we can expect more drastic actions by Russia already on the land borders of the Alliance.
These Russian tactics are not new. In 2003, the Russian Federation, without any warning, began building a causeway dam on the island of Tuzla near Crimea to connect the Ukrainian island with the Russian coast. Russian propaganda claimed that legally this island did not exist and that it was supposedly “Russian” territory that “was never part of Crimea, and therefore was not part of Ukraine in 1991.”
The Russians also used the conflict around Tuzla to officially question Ukraine’s ownership of its part of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. And also – to study the reaction of the world and the Ukrainian leadership itself to Russian encroachments on sovereign Ukrainian territory. We learned, understood everything and came in 2014.
Continuation of the hybrid war
“Moscow demonstrates that it does not care about international law, the opinions of its neighbors, etc. A possible change in maritime borders in this way is the same action, perhaps less noticeable, as the annexation of the occupied Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation. Therefore, I do not see “this is a continuation of the Kremlin’s hybrid war,” this opinion was expressed in an exclusive commentary to OBOZ.UA by Ukrainian diplomat Igor Dolgov, who headed the Ukrainian embassies in Germany, Turkey, Belgium and Georgia, the Ukrainian mission to NATO and was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Affairs of Ukraine and Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
NATO countries are involved, whose interests are being oppressed. And the fact that we are talking about the sea area, and not about land territories, as is the case with Ukraine. Finland’s entry into NATO has partially complicated Russia’s access to its waters in the Baltic Sea. After all, now Russia can easily be locked in where there is a piece of the Russian coast in the Baltic (the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO gave the Alliance the opportunity to block the Russian Federation in the Baltic. The main headquarters of the Russian Navy is located in St. Petersburg, the naval base is in Kronstadt. This means , that in the event of an attempt at aggression by Russia, NATO will be able to block the Gulf of Finland and deprive the Russian Baltic Fleet of maneuverability. The same applies to the Kaliningrad region, where the headquarters of the Russian Baltic Fleet and the naval base are located in the city of Baltiysk – Ed.).
“It is important what NATO’s reaction will be. Will the Alliance decide to take drastic steps? After all, this can be considered as a regular provocation and escalation of the situation. This Kremlin policy never stops. Leaving such interventions and violations of international law unanswered is very reckless. If you don’t stop the aggressor, then its attacks continue and increase in volume. An attempt to change maritime borders unilaterally can be called an attack. Thus, Russia declares that it is its own right. This is what they say to the whole world. And the whole world tolerates such actions. It’s impossible without an answer. It’s dangerous,” noted Igor Dolgov.
Even if the mafiosi have withdrawn this intention (purportedly), this has shaken up at least some NATO members. Maybe it’s ANOTHER wake-up call that this war is bigger than just one in Ukraine.
NATO will start an emergency meeting about this, already in september……………..and will be very worried.
The maps provided are useless, don’t show the redrawing of borders Russia unilaterally pursuits. Anyway, it defies reason how any such change shall result in “closing down the Baltic Sea”. This provocation should be steadfastly rejected, but panic mongering is ridiculous. Everybody can see that in case of a war, the chance of RuSSian warships getting through the gulf of Finland are nil. They would be blown out of the water. 🙄
My thoughts exactly. NATO could block the entrance to the Baltic Sea, which would stop every every russian ship from entering or leaving, and destroy their oil exports out of St.Petersburg.