Swedish authorities have reported a new fourth alleged leak in the Nord Stream pipelines in the Swedish economic zone as some fear that the damage to the multi-billion-pound pipelines may not be repairable.
The Swedish coastguard reportedly found the fourth leak in the massive energy transmission pipes on Tuesday but the existence of the new leak was not reported in Swedish media until Wednesday evening. This new hole is said to be leaking gas that can be seen at the surface of the sea making a disturbance hundreds of feet wide.
The Swedish Maritime Administration has yet to issue any navigation warnings to vessels operating in the area, although Maria Boman, maritime rescue leader at the Maritime and Air Rescue Centre, told the newspaper Aftonbladet that the existing navigation warnings over the prior leaks covered the same area.
“It was not known from the beginning and was not visible on radar because it is smaller. The Coast Guard saw it when they went by boat and plane in the area. I don’t know exactly when, but at least it was known by lunchtime on Tuesday,” Boman said.
Swedish seismologist Björn Lund has previously speculated that the previous leaks followed possible explosions and said the new leak may also have been the result of an explosion too. “It cannot be ruled out that this is the case. We will look in more detail at the measurement data. It could be another detonation or some kind of [reaction to] the other one,” he said.
The extent of the damage to the pipelines remains to be seen but German security authorities have expressed concern that the pipelines may be damaged beyond economical repair forever if they are not quickly patched now as salt water from the sea would corrode the insides of the pipes.
Experts and government officials have blamed deliberate sabotage for the leaks, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying, “Any deliberate disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will lead to the strongest possible response.”
While many authorities appear to agree that the leaks were caused by sabotage, it remains unclear who may have been behind the acts as no one has yet taken credit and who stands to gain most from an attack is a complex picture. Naturally, however, the various sides are blaming each other.
Ukraine has blamed Russia for the sabotage with Mykhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stating that the gas leak was “a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression toward the [European Union],” and added, “[Russia] wants to destabilize the economic situation in Europe and cause pre-winter panic. The best response and security investment — tanks for [Ukraine], especially German ones.”
Russian media, meanwhile, has blamed the United States, claiming that a US strike helicopter capable of underwater targeting circled the area of the blasts in the early hours of Monday morning.
Polish MEP Radek Sikorski, chairman of the EU-USA delegation in the European Parliament and a noted member of the globalist Civic Platform party, simply wrote “Thank you, USA,” captioning a picture of the leaks, though it is unclear if Sikorski was crediting the USA for the attack or being sarcastic especially given his previous form on being extremely critical of the United States.
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