Nearly three and a half decades after leaving the Soviet Union, the three Baltic nations are permanently disconnecting from Russia’s power grid. They have stopped buying natural gas from Russia, but their electricity grids are still connected to those of Russia and Belarus amid the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are bracing themselves for possible retaliation as they decouple from Russia's power grid this weekend.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will disconnect from the Russian power grid on Saturday, severing Soviet-era energy ties with their neighbor to the east. A countdown clock in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius,