Teams equipped with underwater drones are expected to investigate, but it could take up to a week before it is safe to begin. Russia has denied involvement in the pipeline sabotage.
A fourth gas pipeline leak has been recorded on the Nord Stream system.
The Swedish coastguard revealed to Svenska Dagbladet that it discovered the Nord Stream 2 leak earlier this week.
It follows the discovery of three more leaks on the pipelines, which extend from Russia to Germany, with sabotage being widely suspected.
Two of these four are within Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, according to Jenny Larsson, a spokesman for the Swedish Coast Guard.
The remaining two are on Danish territory.
A British defense official told that the strikes likely involved underwater explosives and were certainly premeditated.
The mines may have been lowered on a long line, thrown over a boat, or positioned near the pipelines using an underwater drone, according to the experts.
The European Union is also of the opinion that sabotage is to blame, while Russia has stated that charges that it is to blame are “predictable” and “dumb.”
According to the RIA Novosti news agency, the country’s foreign ministry also asserted that the disclosures occurred in a region under the authority of U.S. intelligence.
At the time of the suspected explosions, neither of the pipelines was in operation, but they were still full of gas that was leaking into the ocean.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine and Germany refusal to grant a license, Nord Stream 2 was to transport gas to Europe from Russia to Germany.
The first leak was noticed Monday morning approximately 23 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of Bornholm Island, Denmark.
Tuesday, two additional leaks were detected on the parallel Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and today, the Swedish coastguard confirmed that there were four leaks.
The national seismology institute of Sweden said that “strong undersea explosions” were recorded in the area where the leaks occurred.
Uppsala University seismologist Bjorn Lund told SVT, “There is no doubt that these were explosions.”
Norway has stated that the military will be more visible at its oil and gas plants.
Jeppe Kofod, the Danish minister of international affairs, stated that the damage to the pipes was “planned, not an accident,” and that it should alarm all of Europe.
He stated: “This kind of attack or sabotage on vital European energy infrastructure has never occurred before.
This is a matter on which the United States is collaborating closely with allies in the EU and NATO.
Mr. Kofod emphasized the importance of allowing investigations to take place before assigning responsibility.
Teams equipped with underwater drones will likely be dispatched to investigate, but it could take up to a week before it is safe to do so.
There are still some concerns, according to Sky correspondent Alex Rossi, as to whether Russia will stoop to disrupting the pipelines through which it sells its gas.
“Even though it drives up energy prices and generates political instability in European nations who support Ukraine, the fact that Russia owns the pipeline makes it a bit of an own goal.
“Vladimir Putin could easily just switch on and off the taps. He is not required to destroy the infrastructure.”
