Copenhagen [Denmark], September 27 (ANI): Danish authorities said they had discovered a total of three leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. Danish energy authority announced on Tuesday that two of the leaks were located in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to the north-east of the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm while the other one is in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to the south-east of the island, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, German News Agency reported.
After the suspicious leaks of pipelines running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, people were suspecting of possible sabotage. German sources and Russian authorities said they were not ruling out an act of sabotage. German security sources said the cause of the incidents had not been clarified, but there were indications of sabotage. Only a state actor could mount such an intervention due to its technical complexity, the sources said as quoted by DPA.
After the reports surfaced, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is “extremely worried” about the suspected leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Baltic Sea pipelines. “No variant can be ruled out,” Peskov said as quoted by DPA citing state news agency Interfax on Tuesday when asked if it could have been an act of sabotage.
“Obviously, there is a destruction of the pipeline. And what the reason is, there is no option that can be ruled out until the results of the investigation emerge,” he said. “This is an absolutely unprecedented situation that needs to be resolved quickly.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s presidential advisor Mikhaylo Podolyak blamed the leaks on Moscow. Taking to Twitter, Podolyak said, “‘Gas leak’ from NS-1 is nothing more that a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression towards EU. Russia wants to destabilize economic situation in Europe and cause pre-winter panic. The best response and security investment — tanks for Ukraine. Especially German ones…”
Earlier, on Monday night, the pressure dropped, which was detected in both pipelines. The average pressure of 105 bar dropped to 7 bar on the German side, DPA reported. (ANI)
‘Utterly unacceptable’: EU warns after leaks found in Nord Stream gas pipelines
Brussels [Belgium], September 28 (ANI): European Union Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday expressed deep concern about damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, the strategic infrastructure that links Russia to Europe. Borrell warned that any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is “utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.” “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. Safety and environmental concerns are of utmost priority. These incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all,” the top EU official said in a statement.
“All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act. We will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security,” he added. On Monday, Danish and Swedish officials said that leaks had been identified in Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 under the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark’s Bornholm island. A probe is underway into leaks in two Russian gas pipelines amid concerns about sabotage of infrastructure at the heart of a European energy standoff.
The Kremlin said Russia is “extremely concerned” about the damage sustained by the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. In a statement, pipeline operator Nord Stream AG said three offshore lines of the Russia-built Nord Stream gas pipeline system sustained “unprecedented” damage, leaking gas into the Baltic Sea.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said pressure in the gas pipeline has dropped significantly as a result of the three leaks and refused to rule out sabotage as a potential cause, TASS reported. The damage to the key pipelines comes amid an ongoing energy dispute that began after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February this year. Europe accuses Russia of weaponizing energy supplies in response to Western sanctions. Meanwhile, Moscow blames sanctions and technical issues for supply disruptions.
Earlier in August, flows through the pipeline were halted and have not yet been relaunched after a series of repairs declared by Moscow. (ANI)
