The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have officially severed the flow of electricity between themselves and Russia after officials switched off the Soviet-era grid’s transmission lines and joined the rest of Europe.

The three Baltic states successfully connected to the European power grid Sunday after severing Soviet-era links with Russia's network, a shift that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed as "freedom from threats and blackmail".

The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have successfully disconnected their electricity grids from Russia, joining the European continental power grid.