Russian authorities have announced plans to alter Russia’s maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea.
Both Lithuania and Finland have already condemned the move, which comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Baltic Sea region due to the war in Ukraine.
A draft prepared by the Russian defense ministry proposes designating a portion of the waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland, as well as areas near the Russian cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region, as its internal maritime waters.
This entails adjusting the geographic coordinates of baseline points used to measure the width of Russia’s territorial waters and the adjacent zone, including coastal areas and islands.
“The passage of the state border of the Russian Federation at sea will change,” a summary of the draft decree said. If approved, the decree would come into force in January 2025.