‘Mystery’ Gas Leaks Found in Russian Pipelines

Facts

• European officials are investigating unexplained leaks in two Russian gas pipelines that churned up the Baltic Sea with bubbles on Tuesday. Sweden’s Maritime Authority issued a warning about two gas leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline; Denmark discovered gas leaks in Nord Stream 2, which prompted a restriction on shipping within a 5-nautical-mile radius.
• Gas leaks on both pipelines raised concerns from Copenhagen to Moscow about sabotage of infrastructure at the heart of a European energy standoff. Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Moraqiecki blamed sabotage without citing evidence, and the Danish premier Mette Frederiksen said sabotage couldn’t be ruled out.
• Seismic stations in Sweden, Norway, and Finland registered two spikes on Monday near the leaks. The Swedish National Seismic Network asserted that the seismic activity may have been the result of undersea explosions.
• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed reporters Tuesday saying, “We cannot rule out any possibility right now. Clearly, there’s a destruction of the pipe, but before we have the results from the investigation, it is impossible to rule out any option.”
• News of the gas leaks came on the same day leaders from Poland, Norway, and Denmark attended a ceremony to mark the opening of the new Baltic Pipe — an important step to wean Poland and Europe off Russian gas. The pipeline will transport natural gas from the Norwegian shelf, via Denmark, through the Baltic Sea to Poland.
• On Monday, Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority warned that unidentified drones had been sighted recently near its offshore oil and gas facilities. Concern among Europe’s energy sector has been rising as tensions increase over Ukraine.

Sources: CNBC, Reuters, The Guardian, Politico, Euro News, and New York Times.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Moscow Times. Russia is greatly concerned about these leaks and the disruptions they could cause ahead of the long, cold winter in Europe. An investigation will get to the bottom of this and hopefully lead to a resolution. There is no malfeasance or malintent whatsoever from the Kremlin.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by BBC News. These “mystery” gas leaks have the possibility of being a terrorist attack by Russia as an act of aggression toward the EU. Russia wants to destabilize the economic situation in Europe and cause pre-winter panic. In retaliation, Europe should do even more to help Ukraine defeat Russia.