Russia has unilaterally changed its borders in the Baltic Sea, expanding its territorial waters near Lithuania and Finland. This was reported by The Moscow Times, citing a draft government decree and its accompanying documents.
According to the document prepared by the Ministry of Defense, russia plans to declare parts of the waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland, as well as near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad oblast, as its internal maritime waters.
On the border with Finland, the russian government intends to adjust coordinates in the zones around the islands of Yagry, Sommers, Hogland, Rodsher, Maly Tyuters, Vigrund, and near the northern entrance cape of the Narva River. On the border with Lithuania, the area of the Curonian Spit, regions around Cape Taran, the cape south of Cape Taran, and the Baltic Spit have come under review.
The russian military department justifies the need to change the maritime borders by stating that the current geographical coordinates are outdated and "do not fully correspond to the modern geographical situation".