The researchers in Sweden and Denmark assume that the damaged pipelines in the Baltic Sea were sabotaged with an explosive charge of several hundred kilograms. According to an information letter to the UN Security Council, which is meeting for an emergency meeting on Friday, there have been at least two underwater explosions.
Two leaks occurred each time in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden, and the gas that rose from them covered hundreds of meters of surface. On the Swedish side, this Thursday would have had a radius of around 900 and 200 meters respectively and on the Danish side of around 555 and 680 meters respectively. The Nord Stream 1 operator has concluded that the gas leak from the pipeline will last until October 2. A similar review of Nord Stream 2 is still pending.
It is still unclear who is behind the sabotage action. But one assumes a state actor. In his speech on the occasion of the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the leaks. “They (the Anglo-Saxons) have resorted to sabotage. Strange but true. By organizing explosions on the international Nord Stream gas pipelines (…) they have effectively started destroying the common European energy infrastructure,” Putin said Friday, the British or both nations together.
Putin speaks of ‘international terrorism’
Putin had previously spoken of an “act of international terrorism” in relation to the leaks, but did not name any potential masterminds. “But it is clear that the main beneficiary (of the pipeline explosions), especially economically, is the United States,” National Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev told the Interfax news agency on Friday during a meeting with intelligence chiefs of the CIS countries. . .
US: “There is a lot of speculation”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says speculation about leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines is premature. “As for the attack on or damage to the pipelines, there is a lot of speculation at the moment. But frankly, no one will be able to say for sure what happened until a full investigation is done,” Austin said at a press conference in Hawaii. He discussed the incident with his Danish counterpart on Wednesday, who pointed out that it would take a few days for a team on site to look at the leaks and assess the damage. The Kiev government clearly sees Russia behind the incidents.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
