On February 18, during the program (1,2) “Time for Solidarity with Davit Akhvlediani,” the regional secretary of the Solidarity for Peace party, Giorgi Arghvliani, stated that after Estonia disconnected from the Russian electricity system, a major factory shut down due to rising electricity prices.
In the same program, Arghvliani also claimed that last year, during the Easter period, Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine a one-day ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, to which, according to him, Ukraine responded with irony.
The claim about a factory closure and rising electricity prices in Estonia after the disconnection from the Russian electricity system is manipulative. In reality, the increase in electricity prices was caused by other technical and market factors, including damage to the EstLink-2 cable, increased demand, and rising gas prices.
There is no open-source evidence confirming that Putin offered a ceasefire and prisoner exchange during Easter 2024. On the contrary, during that period, Russia carried out large-scale attacks on Ukraine. Additionally, in 2022, Russia rejected a UN-proposed four-day Easter ceasefire.
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Electricity in Estonia
On February 9, 2025, the three Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia – disconnected from the BRELL network, which previously linked Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They have now become part of the European ENTSO-E network. Although electricity prices in Estonia increased after the disconnection, specialists explain that the primary cause was not the separation from Russia’s energy grid but other technical and market factors.
As Dr. Igor Krupenski, an energy science specialist at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), explained to the publication Insider, the Baltic states had not been purchasing electricity from Russia for a long time, and the connection to the Russian grid only served a technical frequency regulation function. Therefore, the disconnection could not have directly influenced electricity prices.
In reality, the price increase was caused by other factors. In December 2024, the EstLink-2 underwater power transmission cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged. With a capacity of 650 MW, this cable is critically important for Estonia, as Finland supplies mainly low-cost nuclear power. The cable outage meant that Estonia lost access to a significant amount of affordable electricity and had to rely on more expensive alternatives. Additionally, seasonal factors played a major role – demand for electricity rises significantly in winter, which in turn affects prices.
Like other European countries, Estonia also relies to some extent on natural gas, particularly to support power plants during peak demand periods. As a result, rising gas prices automatically led to higher electricity prices.
Energy experts also note that the price increase is temporary. Once the cable is repaired, access to cheap Finnish electricity will be restored, and in spring, the growth in renewable energy generation will naturally help lower prices. It is also worth noting that many Estonian consumers and businesses use fixed-price contracts, meaning not all customers feel the impact of market fluctuations.
- Estonian Cell Also Shut Down in 2021 Due to High Tariffs
In the program, Giorgi Arghvliani did not specify the name of the Estonian factory, but Russian sources have circulated information that Estonian Cell suspended its operations. Estonian Cell is a wood-processing factory located in the Estonian city of Kunda. It produces wood pulp used in paper and cardboard manufacturing, which is then utilized in various industrial processes. This facility consumes a significant amount of energy, but this is not the first time it has had to halt operations. Estonian Cell was forced to temporarily suspend production not only in 2025 but also in December 2021, that is at the time when Estonia was still connected to the Russian energy system. As the company’s executive director explained in 2021, the reason for the temporary shutdown was a sharp increase in electricity and gas prices. The company operated partially under fixed-rate contracts, meaning it was not entirely dependent on market price fluctuations. However, despite this, in November 2021, Estonian Cell had to pay an additional €1.5 million for gas and electricity costs. Over the span of a few months, the company’s total energy expenses increased by €5 million.
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Did Putin Offer a Prisoner Exchange to Ukraine on Easter?
During the program, Giorgi Arghvliani claimed that last year, on Easter, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine a one-day ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, to which Ukraine allegedly responded with irony.
Giorgi Arghvliani: “If memory serves me correctly, it was last Easter when Putin and the Russian government proposed to Ukraine to stop fighting for one day, on Easter, and to have a prisoner exchange, but they responded with irony, saying that Russia just wanted to take a breath. There is no divine righteousness on their side.”
However, in 2024, during Orthodox Easter, Vladimir Putin did not offer Ukraine a one-day ceasefire for a prisoner exchange. On the contrary, that period was marked by intensified Russian military actions on Ukrainian territory.
On Orthodox Easter Sunday, May 5, 2024, Russia launched airstrikes on Ukraine’s eastern regions, causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. In the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, Russian airstrikes killed three people and injured at least 17. In the Kharkiv region, a drone attack wounded six people, including a child. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, debris from downed drones caused fires in several buildings, though no casualties were reported.
These attacks occurred precisely when both countries were celebrating Orthodox Easter. Notably, Russia never halted its attacks during Easter in previous years either. For example, during Easter week in 2023, Russia bombed a residential building in the Zaporizhzhia region. On Easter night, a church dedicated to Archangel Michael, built in 1906 in the same region, was destroyed by Russian shelling. Additionally, in the Mykolaiv region, a missile strike killed two teenagers.
In April 2022, during the Easter period, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a four-day ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid delivery and the evacuation of civilians from war-affected areas. Russia rejected the proposal, citing concerns that it would give Ukrainians time to regroup.
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Attempts at a Ceasefire Between Russia and Ukraine in 2024
Throughout 2024, there were multiple attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and initiate peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but none of them were successful.
On June 14, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the following conditions for a ceasefire: the Ukrainian Armed Forces must withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions; Ukraine must abandon its pursuit of NATO membership and declare itself a neutral country; and the international community must lift sanctions imposed on Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed these demands as an ultimatum and categorically refused to accept them.
In May 2024, reports circulated that Putin was willing to agree to a ceasefire on the condition that Ukraine and its Western partners recognize the existing frontlines as they stood at the time. This proposal also included acknowledging the Russian-occupied territories – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia – as part of Russia.
The Ukrainian government assessed these terms as a violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Zelenskyy stated that true peace would only be possible if Russia withdrew from the occupied territories.
In December 2024, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán proposed a ceasefire during the Christmas period, along with a large-scale prisoner exchange. The Kremlin expressed support for this initiative, but Ukrainian officials stated that they had not received any such offer. Zelenskyy’s administration had previously expressed concerns that Russia might use a temporary ceasefire to gain a military advantage.
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