Russia Says Nord Stream Pipeline Damage Likely ‘Terrorist Act’

A gas leak from Nord stream 1 in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken from the Swedish Coast Guard aircraft on Sept. 28, 2022. (Swedish Coast Guard/Handout via TT News Agency/via Reuters)

Russia said on Thursday that pipeline leaks emitting natural gas into the sea appear to be the result of state-sponsored terrorism.

The European Union is investigating the cause of the leaks in the Gazprom-led Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage.

“This looks like some kind of terrorist act, possibly at the state level,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to TASS news. "This is an extremely dangerous situation that requires urgent investigation,” he stressed.

A day before, Peskov dismissed claims that Moscow was behind the damage to the pipelines and described those allegations as “predictably stupid.” He questioned why Russia would sabotage its own pipeline system, which would lead to the loss of significant amounts of “expensive” gas.

A report from CNN alleged that European security officials had observed Russian navy support ships and submarines not far from the sites of the leaks. When asked to comment on the CNN report, Peskov said there had been a much larger NATO presence in the area.

Russia has also said the leaks off the coasts of Denmark and Sweden occurred in territory that is “fully under the control” of U.S. intelligence agencies.

Explosions

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were not supplying gas to Europe when the leaks were first detected on Monday but still had gas in them. Russia had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, saying Western sanctions had hampered operations. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial operations.

Earlier this week, researchers with seismology agencies in Denmark and Sweden found that the damage to the pipelines was most likely caused by explosions and ruled out the possibility of natural cases.

A senior U.S. official told reporters Wednesday that the United States was not involved in the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines and said “the jury is still out” on what happened. “We were absolutely not involved,” the official said in response to a question.

“Many of our partners, I think, have determined or believe it is sabotage,” the official remarked. “I’m just—I’m not at the point where I can tell you one way or the other.”

Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the damage to the pipelines on Wednesday. Both said it was an act of sabotage, although they did not publicly say who could be responsible.

“There is reason to be concerned about the security situation in the Baltic Sea region,” Bodskov said in a statement to media outlets. “Russia has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region, and we expect them to continue their saber rattling.”

No nation-state or group has claimed responsibility.

Meanwhile, Andrei Kortunov of the Russian International Affairs Council think tank, told the BBC that such an attack by Russia would make no sense.

“They always point finger at Russia but I think since it’s the Russian property it would be not very logical for Russia to inflict damage upon it,” he told the broadcaster. “There are other ways to make European lives harder. They can simply stop the gas deliveries without damaging the infrastructure.”

Reuters contributed to this report.