Ukraine has accused Russia of conducting a “terrorist attack” by causing leaks in two main gas pipelines to Europe.
Mykhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, described the damage to Nord Stream 1 and 2 as an “act of aggression” against the European Union.
He added that Russia intended to provoke pre-winter fear and encouraged the EU to bolster Ukraine’s military assistance.
Seismologists observed undersea explosions before the appearance of the leaks.
Local media cited Bjorn Lund of the Swedish National Seismology Centre as saying, “There is no doubt that these were explosions.”
On Monday afternoon, the operators of Nord Stream 2 reported a loss of pressure in the pipeline. This prompted Danish officials to issue a caution to vessels to avoid the area around Bornholm.
The operator of Nord Stream 1 stated that the underwater pipelines received “unprecedented” damage on the same day.
The Danish Defense Command has published a film depicting bubbles on the surface of the Baltic Sea near the island caused by the leaks.
It is stated that the largest patch of sea disturbance is 1 km (0.6 miles) in diameter.
“The NS-1 gas leak is nothing more than a planned terrorist strike by Russia and an act of aggression against the EU. Russia intends to destabilize Europe’s economic condition and generate a panic before winter “Mr. Podolyak of Ukraine tweeted in English.
Additionally, he urged European countries, namely Germany, to enhance their military support for Ukraine.
“Tanks are the finest reaction and security investment for Ukraine. Particularly German ones “he said.
Other European officials have highlighted the possibility that the pipeline damage was intentional.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attributed it to sabotage and suggested that it was likely related to the conflict in Ukraine.
Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen stated that it was too early to conclude, but that it was difficult to believe that the repeated leaks were a coincidence.
Simultaneously, unsubstantiated reports in German media indicated that authorities were not ruling out an assault on the subsea gas network.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that he was “very concerned” about the occurrence and that a purposeful strike could not be ruled out.
In reaction to European sanctions imposed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has previously accused Russia of employing a reduction in gas supplies as an economic weapon.
However, Moscow rejects this, claiming that the sanctions have rendered it unable to properly maintain the gas infrastructure.
Regardless of the origin of the damage, it will not have an immediate impact on the gas supply to Europe because neither pipeline was operating.
The two parallel segments of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline have not moved any gas since August when Russia shut it down for maintenance.
It spans 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) beneath the Baltic Sea, from the Russian coast near St. Petersburg to northeastern Germany. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was halted after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Both pipelines continue to contain gas despite neither being operational.
Authorities in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden are examining the occurrences.
The Danish energy regulator told Reuters that the gas leak might persist for many days or possibly a week.
The operator of the pipeline, Nord Stream AG, stated that it was hard to predict when the infrastructure would be restored.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine, energy prices have skyrocketed, and dwindling supplies could push prices much higher.
There are rising concerns that families in the EU will not be able to afford heating costs this winter.
With the opening of a new gas pipeline, Poland is spearheading the push to reduce Europe’s dependency on Russia, formerly the continent’s primary energy supplier.
The Baltic Pipe will be a new connection for Norwegian gas to Europe, allowing access to countries south of Poland, such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
