• The EU has claimed that sabotage was to blame for leaks in two significant gas pipelines from Russia to Europe, but has refrained from condemning Russia specifically.
• “The EU has previously charged Russia with using the Nord Stream pipeline and gas supply as a weapon against the West.
• As a result, the Danish government advised ships to steer clear of the region close to the island of Bornholm.

The EU has claimed that sabotage was to blame for leaks in two significant gas pipelines from Russia to Europe, but has refrained from condemning Russia specifically.

According to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, deliberate disruption will receive the “strongest possible response.”

Ukraine went a step further in the past and accused Russia of a “terrorist attack.”

The EU has previously charged Russia with using the Nord Stream pipeline and gas supply as a weapon against the West.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that he did not believe the leaks would “significantly affect Europe’s energy resiliency.” Although both pipelines hold gas, none of them are currently carrying it.

Although Mr. Blinken did not accuse Russia directly, he did state that it would be “in no one’s interest” if they were created on purpose.

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, echoed Ms. von der Leyen’s message.

He wrote on Twitter that the “Nord Stream sabotage acts appear to be an attempt to further destabilize the energy supply to [the] EU.”

Dan Jorgensen, Denmark’s energy minister, said that the leaks will likely continue for at least a week, or until all of the gas in the leaking pipelines had been used up. Then the investigation would start.

On Monday afternoon, the Nord Stream 2 operators issued a warning about a loss of pressure in the pipeline. As a result, the Danish government advised ships to steer clear of the region close to the island of Bornholm.

The Nord Stream 1 operator later claimed on Tuesday that “unprecedented” damage had been done to all of the subsea lines on the same day.

Since Russia shut down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in August, which consists of two parallel branches, no gas has been carried through it. The EU said it was attempting to weaponize Europe’s gas supply while placing the responsibility for the closure on maintenance.

From the Russian coast near St. Petersburg to north-eastern Germany, Nord Stream 1 travels 745 miles (1,200 km) beneath the Baltic Sea. After Russian invaded Ukraine, construction on its twin pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was stopped.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, expressed his “great concern” over the leaks and said it was impossible to rule out the prospect of a planned attack.

Before the leaks appeared, underwater bursts were noted by seismologists. Danish Defense Command has published a video of the leaks, which shows bubbles at the surface of the Baltic Sea, the largest of which is 1 km (0.6 mi) in diameter.

According to Bjorn Lund of Sweden’s National Seismology Center, “There is no question that they were explosions.”

The leak, according to Mikhaylo Podolyak, Ukraine’s presidential adviser, was “nothing more than a terrorist strike prepared by Russia and an act of hostility towards the EU.”

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