Baltic border disputes and a Moldova pact: late May 2024
A look back at the days around 25 May 2024, when border moves by Russia drew concern in the Baltic region and Moldova signed a security pact with the EU.
What was unsettling the Baltic frontier in the days before 25 May 2024? Reports from 21 to 23 May pointed to a cluster of border-related developments involving Russia, NATO members and the European Union.
On 22 May, the Russian Ministry of Defence proposed unilaterally adjusting Russia's maritime border in the Baltic Sea. Baltic members of NATO, including Finland and Lithuania, voiced concern. The ministry later retracted the proposal.
On 23 May, Russia removed border markers on the Narva River, which marks the border with Estonia. The European Union protested.
Moldova's pact with the EU
On 21 May, Moldova became the first non-EU signatory country to sign a security and defence pact with the European Union. The agreement is meant to help Moldova strengthen and manage its borders, and it facilitates cooperation in cybersecurity and in combating disinformation.
A treason sentence in Saint Petersburg
Also on 21 May, a court in Saint Petersburg sentenced Anatoly Maslov, a 77-year-old hypersonic missiles expert, to 14 years in prison for state treason.
Taken together, the reports from those days show border questions in the Baltic region prompting protests and expressions of concern, alongside a new security arrangement between the EU and Moldova.
