Satellite image showing gas leakage from
The European Union said that the gas leak from the Nord Stream pipelines occurred as a result of an act of sabotage, but did not explicitly accuse Russia of being behind the accident.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that deliberate disturbances would be met with “the strongest possible response”.
As for Ukraine, it went further, in its statements, accusing Russia of carrying out a “terrorist attack”.
Earlier, the European Union accused Russia of using gas exports and the two “Nord Stream” lines as a weapon against the West.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the accusations of sabotage, calling them “expected, stupid and ridiculous.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he did not believe the leaks “would have a significant impact on European energy capabilities.” The two pipelines do not currently carry any gas, although they contain gas.
Blinken did not explicitly accuse Russia, but said that “deliberate sabotage is not in the interest of any of the parties.”
“The Nord Stream sabotage appears to be an attempt to deepen disruptions in gas supplies to the European Union,” European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter.
Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said he expects the leaks to last at least a week, until the gas in the pipeline runs out. Then the investigation will start.
And the company supervising the operation of the “Nord Stream 2” line warned of a loss of pressure in the pipeline on Monday evening, and accordingly the Danish authorities recommended that ships avoid the area near the island of Bornholm.
The company supervising the operation of “Nord Stream 1” said that its undersea lines suffered “unprecedented” simultaneous damage in one day.
Nord Stream 1 has not transported any gas since August, when Russia shut it down. She attributed the closure to maintenance work, but the European Union accused it of using gas exports as a weapon in its confrontation with the West.
Nord Stream 1 stretches 1,200 km under the Baltic Sea, from the Russian coast near Saint Petersburg to northeastern Germany. Nord Stream 2 was shut down when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was “deeply concerned” about the leaks, adding that he did not rule out the hypothesis of a deliberate attack.
Seismologists monitored underwater explosions before the leaks appeared. The Danish Army Command published pictures of the leaks showing bubbles on the surface of the Baltic Sea, the largest of which is a kilometer in diameter.
“There is no doubt that they are explosions,” said Björn Land, of the Swedish National Seismological Centre.