Nord Stream: Sweden finds fourth leak in pipeline
Sweden has found the fourth leak in Nord Stream 2 in this week. It is a significant undersea pipeline carrying Russian natural gas to the EU.
This week, gas leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were reported in Sweden and Denmark, raising the possibility of a deliberate attack.
While blaming sabotage, the EU avoided specifically blaming Russia for the leakage. Suggestions that Russia had attacked its own pipelines were brushed aside as “predictable and stupid.”
Instead, the blasts actually occurred in “zones controlled by American intelligence,” according to the foreign minister of the Kremlin.
The fourth leak on Nord Stream 2 was discovered, according to the Swedish coast guard, very close to an earlier, larger leak on Nord Stream 1.
In retaliation for the West’s support for Ukraine, the EU has accused Russia of using gas supplies as a weapon against it on many occasions.
Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, stated that it is “very obvious” who is responsible for the damage.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said he is “extremely concerned” about the leaks and said it was impossible to rule out the possibility of a deliberate attack.
The energy infrastructure of the continent would be subject to the “strongest possible response,” according to EU leaders.
While Norway, a non-EU country, declared it would send troops to guard oil and gas installations. Neither Nord Stream 1 or 2 is transferring gas at the moment, although they both contain gas.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline – which comprises of two parallel branches – has not transported any gas since late August when Russia turned it down, citing it needed maintenance.
From the Russian coast near St. Petersburg to northeastern Germany, it extends 1,200 km (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, construction on its twin pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was halted.
Before the leaks appeared, underwater bursts were noted by seismologists. According to video of the leaks given by Denmark’s Defense Command, the surface of Baltic Sea, largest of which is one kilometre in diameter, shows bubbles.
“There was no doubt that these were explosions,” according to Bjorn Lund of Sweden’s National Seismology Center.
Nord Stream: Sweden finds fourth leak in pipeline
“A Russian attack, though, wouldn’t make sense,” according to Andrei Kortunov of the Russian International Affairs Council, a Moscow based think tank.
“They always point finger at Russia but I think since it’s the Russian property it would be not very logical for Russia to inflict damage upon it,” Kortunov told to the news sources.
“There are other ways to make European lives harder. They can simply stop the gas deliveries without damaging the infrastructure, ” he added.
