The three Baltic states disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday, the region's operators said, part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more closely with the European Union and boost security.

Over thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will officially disconnect from their shared power grid with Russia and Belarus today.

By 9:09 a.m. on Saturday, the electricity systems of all three Baltic states had successfully disconnected from the Russian-controlled IPS/UPS system, and are now operating independently in island mode before synchronizing with the Continental European grid on Sunday.