Russia and the controversial review of maritime borders in the Baltic Sea

Russia has caused concern for its western neighbours with a new proposal to change the maritime borders in the Baltic. At the beginning of this week there were reports that the Russian Ministry of Defence was proposing to expand its maritime zones in the Baltic Sea. In particular, Russia hopes to review the sea borders in the eastern Gulf of Finland and near the coastal towns of Baltic and Zielonogradsk in Kaliningrad.

However, this proposal violates the coasts of Lithuania and Finland, causing concerns among NATO members. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, described this as "another Russian hybrid operation, this time attempting to spread fear, uncertainty and doubts about their intentions in the Baltic Sea".

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Finland also called Russia's review of maritime zones a form of hybrid impact. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Russia to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which discourages unilateral revision of maritime zones.

Russian authors of the proposal for amendments justify the claim that the current base lines, established by the Soviet Council of Ministers in 1985, "does not fully correspond to the current geographical situation". The reference points used at that time were recorded using small sea navigation maps, which were based on works from the mid-20th century. According to Russian logic, geographical coordinates should be recalculated based on modern cartographic measurements.

While the Kremlin claims that there is nothing political in the Ministry of Defence's proposal, most NATO members bordering the Baltic Sea interpret this move as a form of provocation. Analysts see this as another sign of the changing political landscape of the Baltic, in which Russia opposes increasing NATO control in the region. Currently, eight of the nine countries bordering the Baltic Sea are members of NATO, except Russia.

The Baltic Sea hosts a growing offshore wind energy sector, including Poland, and a web of offshore telecommunications and energy connections. Therefore, uncertainty in the management of the sea would be an undesirable phenomenon for the region – and could provide Russia with a new advantage. In the context of Russia's aggressive policy and the ongoing war in Ukraine, such movement may be seen as another destabilising element in the region and an attempt to strengthen its position at the expense of its neighbours.

Source: BBC/MD