- The EU, US, and NATO think that the pipelines were sabotaged.
- Leaks of gas bubbled up to the surface of the water in an area a kilometre wide.
- Russia has been accused in the past of using gas supplies as a weapon against the West.
European countries say they will beef up security around oil and gas installations, after what is thought to be sabotage of two major pipelines.
The EU, the US, and NATO all think that the damage to the pipelines between Russia and Germany was done on purpose, but they have not directly blamed Russia.
Russia said it wasn’t involved and asked if the US was instead.
Russia has been accused in the past of using gas supplies as a weapon against the West because the West is helping Ukraine.
On Monday and Tuesday, the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were found.
At the time, neither pipeline was running. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the Nord Stream 2 project was scrapped, and Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 in September, saying it needed maintenance.
But both pipelines were still full of gas, which bubbled up to the surface of the water in an area a kilometre wide.
Dan Jorgensen, Denmark’s Energy Minister, said that the leaks were likely to last at least a week, or until all of the gas that was leaking from the pipes was gone. There will be a look into what happened.
Ursula von der Leyen, who is in charge of the European Commission, has promised the “strongest possible response” if it turns out that the attack was planned.
Dmitry Peskov, who works for President Vladimir Putin, said that claims of sabotage were “predictable, stupid, and absurd.”
Mr. Peskov said he was “extremely worried” about the leaks and that it could not be ruled out that they were done on purpose.
In response to the supposed attacks, Norway, which is now Europe’s biggest gas supplier, has decided to send its military to protect important infrastructure.
At a news conference, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said that the military would be “more visible” at oil and gas sites.
He said that any attack would be handled with the help of allies.
He said that the Navy would be sent to protect installations at sea, while police could step up their presence at facilities on land.
Equinor, an energy company that is owned by the Norwegian government, also said on Wednesday that it had stepped up security.
Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, said that he and the defence minister of Denmark, the country closest to the damage, had talked about how to protect critical infrastructure.
And in the US, Jake Sullivan, the White House’s National Security Adviser, said that the US would keep working to protect Europe’s energy security.
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