A draft decree suggesting changing Russia's border in the Baltic Sea was deleted from the Russian government website on May 22 after swift condemnation from some NATO members.
In the draft decree, originally published on May 21, the Russian government said it wanted to revise the existing border, as it had been created in 1985 using now out-of-date nautical charts.
The draft proposal was deleted on May 22, and the web page to the decree now reads: "The draft is deleted." There has been no public explanation as to why it was taken down.
Leaders from the surrounding NATO member countries responded fiercely to the decree.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called the Russian move "another hybrid operation,"which aims to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea.
"This is an obvious escalation against NATO and the EU and must be met with an appropriately firm response,"Landsbergis wrote on Twitter.
Micael Byden, the supreme commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, said Russian President Vladimir Putin may be seeking dominance over the Baltic Sea and has his eye on the Swedish island of Gotland.
"I am confident that Putin even has both eyes on Gotland. Putin's goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea," Byden said.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in turn, said Moscow had not consulted with Helsinki.
"Finland acts as always: calmly and based on facts," Stubb wrote on Twitter.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
