A fourth leak was revealed Thursday on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, targeted according to NATO by “deliberate” acts of sabotage, Moscow suspecting the “involvement” of a foreign state.
The damage caused to these strategic installations between Russia and Germany, against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine and tensions between Russia and the West, must be the focus of a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday in New York.
Without waiting, NATO on Thursday denounced “deliberate and irresponsible” sabotage, the Kremlin speaking of a “terrorist act” assuming the “involvement” of a foreign state. However, the two camps did not explicitly point to a country.
The fourth leak, in the Swedish area, revealed by the Swedish coastguard, adds to the three already known in this part of the Baltic, two on the Danish side and one on the Swedish side, which cause significant boiling on the surface.
Following suspicious explosions on Monday, the leaks are in international waters off the Danish island of Bornholm, but within the respective exclusive economic zones of the two Scandinavian countries.
The Swedish Coast Guard could not immediately clarify why the reporting of this new leak was late, but they did say that the two leaks on the Swedish side were located “in close proximity” to each other. .
However, they were unable to confirm reports from Swedish media that this new leak was located above the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
“Energy Lever”
NATO denounced “deliberate, reckless and irresponsible” acts of sabotage, and assured that the Atlantic Alliance would defend itself “against the use, for coercive purposes, of the lever of energy or any other hybrid process by state or non-state actors.
Russia said for its part that it suspected the “involvement” of a foreign state, without however naming a particular country either.
“It is very difficult to imagine that such a terrorist act could take place without the involvement of a state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, again calling for “an urgent investigation”. .
Moscow, the object of multiple suspicions, on Wednesday rejected “stupid and absurd” allegations about its possible responsibility, and implicitly accused the United States by asking for “answers” from American President Joe Biden on an implication of his country.
The White House retorted that it was “ridiculous” to insinuate that the United States could have committed these sabotages, and denounced a Russian “disinformation” operation.
The Security Council meeting, chaired by France, will be held on Friday at Russia’s request, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said.
Sweden and Denmark have been tasked with briefing council members on the leaks in their exclusive economic zones, she said.
According to the Danish authorities, more than half of the gas contained in the two gas pipelines has already escaped into the atmosphere with these leaks, and the rest could be gone by Sunday.
arm wrestling
The two pipelines, long at the center of geopolitical tensions heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are operated by a consortium allying Russian giant Gazprom with Western groups.
They are not operational due to the war in Ukraine, but both were filled with gas.
The vast leaks cause significant marine bubbling several hundred meters wide on the surface which makes it impossible to immediately inspect the structures, according to the authorities.
Nord Stream 2, completed in 2021, was originally intended to double the capacity to import Russian gas into Germany. Its commissioning was suspended in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
These leaks dissuade the prospect of an imminent resumption of gas deliveries to Europe via Nord Stream 1. Gazprom gradually reduced the volumes of gas delivered until the complete closure of this gas pipeline at the end of August, accusing Western sanctions of delaying necessary repairs to the facility.