IRIA News

European leaders have said that sabotage is the most likely cause of leaks in two Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Europe after reported explosions around the Baltic Sea lines.

The leaks occurred in the Danish and Swedish economic zone north of Poland. Denmark’s military issued images and video of gas bubbling at the surface of the Baltic after the “unprecedented” damage to the pipelines. Danish authorities raised the country’s level of preparedness for the power and gas sector after three leaks occurred on Nord Stream 1 and 2 that are crucial to delivering Russian natural gas to Germany.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have been at the center of geopolitical tensions in recent months since Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in retaliation against Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.

Denmark says gas pipeline leaks ‘deliberate actions’

“Breaches of gas pipelines occur extremely rarely and we, therefore, see the need to raise the alert level as a result of the events we have seen during the last day,” Danish Energy Agency director Kristoffer Bottzauw said in a statement. Denmark’s defense minister said there was reason to be concerned about the security situation in the Baltic Sea region after his meeting with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country “cannot rule out” sabotage. She said that the leaks detected in the Nord Stream gas pipelines clearly were caused by deliberate actions and could not have been a result of accidents. “It is now the clear assessment by authorities that these are deliberate actions. It was not an accident,” Frederiksen told reporters. However, the Danish prime minister shared no evidence and said, “There is no information indicating who could be behind it.”

The United States officials also discussed the issue with Danish authorities. “The U.S. is supporting efforts to investigate and we will continue our work to safeguard Europe’s energy security,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday night, adding that he had also spoken to his Danish counterpart Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe.

Poland and Sweden term leaks a sabotage

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the leaks were an act of sabotage that “probably marks the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine”.

Sweden’s national seismic network said that it recorded two explosions near mysterious leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which prompted concerns of sabotage. However, the Swedish government said it does not consider this as an act of aggression against it, given that the events took place outside its territorial waters, in the exclusive economic zones. Sweden’s foreign minister Ann Linde said that the suspected sabotage against the Nord Stream gas pipelines does not constitute an attack on Sweden.

NATO and EU must cooperate to investigate the blasts

Latvia’s Defence Minister Artis Pabriks said that NATO and the European Union member states must jointly investigate the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts and cooperate on protecting critical infrastructure. “Blowing up Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea is a diversion. The diversion took place in the immediate vicinity of NATO territory. This is a moment when close cooperation between the EU and NATO allies is needed in the investigation of the incident and the protection of critical infrastructure” Pabriks said on Twitter.

Russia’s response

Russia said it was “extremely concerned” about the damage sustained by the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the leaks were a cause for concern and said, “No option can be ruled out right now.” Peskov added that ”this is an issue related to the energy security of the entire continent.”

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline between Russia and Germany is 51% owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom while Nord Stream 2 is owned by a Swiss subsidiary of the same company. 

EU to step up protection of energy infrastructure

Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, promised “a robust and united response” from the EU over the gas pipeline leaks. “The European Union is deeply concerned about damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that has resulted in leaks in the international waters of the Baltic Sea,” Borrell said in a statement.

“These incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all. All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act.” Borrell vowed that the EU supports any investigation to get complete clarity on the incident and to take further steps to increase Europe’s energy security. “Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.”

The European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, warned of the “strongest possible response” to any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure in the wake of the Nord Stream damage.