Germany condemns Russia’s plan to change its maritime borders
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes the confusion over a Russian bill to redefine Russia’s maritime borders is part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hybrid warfare.
During his current visit to Lithuania, Pistorius said, “Regardless of how it happened or the reality of what its, it seems to be another example of the insidious method of hybrid warfare that Putin is waging with all its confusion, provocation, retreat, trivialization, discord and threat”.
Pistorius added, “This has become clear again or at least is being hinted, so let’s wait and see what happens”.
Pistorius’ comments come against the backdrop of a draft issued by the Russian Defense Ministry that was published in the Russian government’s laws database on Tuesday evening, but which was later deleted.
The draft concerns the determination of geographical coordinates for the delimitation of boundary lines in different parts of the Baltic Sea, changing Russia’s water borders and expanding its territorial waters adjacent to Finland and Lithuania.
The Russian Defense Ministry highlighted the maritime border near the Russian islands in the Gulf of Finland and other islands off the coast of the cities of Baltysk and Zelenogradsk in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which borders Poland and Lithuania.
The Defense Ministry said the Soviet-era coordinates didn’t allow for a permanent border line.
The bill has alarmed neighboring countries; Russia’s Baltic neighbors denounced the plan on Wednesday, with Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry calling it a deliberate, targeted and escalating provocation and further proof that Russia’s aggressive and reactionary policy poses a threat to the security of neighboring countries and Europe in general.
He said, “it would summon the Russian ambassador to Lithuania and coordinate with partners to discuss the plan”.
As for the Swedish army chief Mikael Beyden, he warned of Moscow’s territorial ambitions in the Baltic Sea, especially with regard to the large Swedish island of Jutland.
“I am sure that Putin has both eyes on Jutland,” Beyden told German media group RND, adding that “Putin’s goal is to control the Baltic Sea”.
In Finland, President Alexander Stubb said in a post on X that “Russia hasn’t contacted Finland about this, and Finland is acting as always: calmly and based on facts”.
