Russia backs down on Baltic Sea border changes, decree removed after outrage – Bloomberg
A draft resolution on the expansion of Russia's territorial waters in the Baltic Sea has been removed from the website of the Russian Defense Ministry, Bloomberg reported on May 22.
Before the document disappeared from the website, three Russian propaganda agencies published a statement by an unnamed "military-diplomatic source" stating that Russia has no plans to change its borders, without explaining why the document was published in the first place, Bloomberg writes.
Later, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had no "political intentions," but did not deny the document. He argued that Russia is "obliged" to take "appropriate steps" to ensure its security, the article says.
Read also: 'Red lines' for Russia that could provoke NATO's stepping into war
The Russian Defense Ministry proposed expanding Russia's territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, near the borders of Lithuania and Finland, The Moscow Times reported on May 21, citing a draft resolution of the Russian government.
Russian officials said that the coordinates, which were established in 1985, allegedly "do not fully correspond to the current geographical situation."
Countries have already responded to this statement.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Russia's initiative a deliberate, purposeful, escalating provocation to intimidate neighboring countries.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen noted that her ministry was clarifying the details reported by the media. According to her, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea contains provisions on the definition of maritime zones of coastal states, including their revision.
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