A Russian plan to re-examine its maritime borders in the Baltic Sea caused uncertainty and concern among its European neighbours on Wednesday.
Russia's Ministry of Defence on Tuesday published an initiative to "determine geographical coordinates" in the Baltic Sea because previous Soviet-era boundaries were inaccurate.
It highlighted maritime borders near Russian islands in the Gulf of Finland and others off the coast of the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, which borders Poland and Lithuania.
The Soviet era coordinates did not allow for a continuous border line, the Defence Ministry said.
Russia's Baltic neighbours denounced the plan on Wednesday, with the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry calling it a "deliberate, targeted and escalating provocation" and "further proof that Russia's aggressive and revisionist policy poses a threat to the security of neighbouring countries and Europe as a whole."
The ministry said it would summon the Russian envoy in Lithuania and coordinate with partners to discuss the document.
Sweden's army chief Micael Bydén also warned of Moscow's territorial ambitions in the Baltic Sea, particularly with regard to the large Swedish island of Gotland.
"I am sure that Putin has both eyes on Gotland," Bydén told the German media group RND. "Putin's goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea," he added.
There was uncertainty about the seriousness and extent of the Russian plan on Wednesday after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said political considerations were not behind the initiative.
Russian news agencies also reported the project was not an attempt to expand Russia's territory, citing military sources.
In Finland, President Alexander Stubb wrote on the social media platform X: "Russia has not contacted Finland on this matter. Finland is acting as always: calmly and on the basis of facts."
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius described the confusion surrounding the plan as "another example of the thoroughly perfidious kind of hybrid warfare that Putin is practising."
On a visit to eastern Lithuania, he criticized the "uncertainty" and "provocation" Russia was causing, calling it the "usual repertoire" of Moscow's actions. "Let's wait and see what happens," he added.