The word 'sabotage' has been dropped since spectacular leaks on Nord Stream gas pipelines have been visible since Monday off the Danish island of Bornholm, between southern Sweden and Poland, are visible on the surface with bubbling ranging from 200 m up to one kilometer in diameter.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline had suffered a sharp drop in pressure on Monday, followed a few hours later by Nord Stream 1, which follows the route under the Baltic.
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Nord Stream gas pipelines: "unnatural explosions" observed before the leaks
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who spoke with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen “talked about the Nord Stream act of sabotage”.
Spoke to @Statsmin Frederiksen on the sabotage action #Nordstream.
Paramount to now investigate the incidents, get full clarity on events & why.
Any deliberate disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable & will lead to the strongest possible response.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 27, 2022
“It is essential to investigate the incidents and to shed light on the events.
Any deliberate disruption of Europe's active energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will lead to the strongest possible response,” she added.
This Wednesday morning, the European Union also warned against any attack on its energy infrastructure in a statement published by the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.
“Any deliberate disruption of Europe's energy infrastructure is totally unacceptable and will be met with a strong and united response,” he said, speaking on behalf of the 27 EU member states.
Shortly before, the Danish Prime Minister had declared that “the clear opinion of the authorities is that these are deliberate acts.
We are not talking about an accident”.
"Explosions have taken place and it is probably about sabotage", added the resigning Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who takes care of current affairs after the lost elections on September 11.
Like Denmark, Sweden does not see this as an act of aggression against it, the incidents having taken place outside territorial waters, in the exclusive economic zones.
According to Copenhagen, the leaks should last “at least a week” until all the gas has left the two structures.
Explosions before leaks
The Swedish seismic institute recorded two underwater explosions, “most likely due to detonations, before the incident, like its Norwegian and Danish equivalents.
These gas pipelines are operated by a consortium dependent on the Russian giant Gazprom and are not operational due to the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
But both were still filled with gas.
The Kremlin, towards which many eyes were turned, said it was “extremely concerned”, considering that “no” hypothesis should be excluded, including sabotage.
In kyiv, the adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak denounced "a planned terrorist attack" by Moscow, without providing evidence.
For his part, the Polish Prime Minister also suggested Russian involvement.
"We clearly see that this is an act of sabotage, which probably marks the next stage in the escalation of the situation in Ukraine," said Mateusz Morawiecki, who just inaugurated a gas pipeline linking Norway to Poland on Tuesday.
On the American side, Washington, after refusing to "confirm" an act of sabotage, said it was examining information that the leaks were "the result of an attack or some kind of sabotage".
"If confirmed, it's clearly not in anyone's interest," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
I spoke with Danish Foreign Minister @JeppeKofod today about the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 apparent sabotage.
We remain committed to promoting European energy security.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 28, 2022
Denmark dispatched two military ships to the scene accompanied by helicopters, and placed its energy infrastructure on orange alert, the second highest level of vigilance.
"Gas pipeline leaks are extremely rare and we therefore see a reason to increase the level of vigilance" after the incidents of the last 24 hours, explained the director of the Danish Energy Agency, Kristoffer Böttzauw.
For its part, the Norwegian government has decided to “strengthen emergency preparedness with regard to infrastructure and facilities on land and at sea on the Norwegian continental shelf”.
In its press release, Oslo mentions "increased drone activity" and ensures that an investigation is underway.
Navigation was prohibited within a radius of five nautical miles (about nine kilometers) around the three leaks, as well as their overflight within a radius of one kilometer.
According to the Danish authorities, the incidents have no consequences for the safety or health of local residents.