NATO also assumes that the leakages in the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 were caused intentionally. In a message on Twitter, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he has discussed the “sabotage” with the Danish defence minister.
“We discussed the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines with Minister Morten Bødskov of our valued ally Denmark. In addition, we talked about protecting critical infrastructure in NATO countries,” the message reads.
This week, three leakages in the pipelines in the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark were discovered. The suspicion of intent grew stronger. For example, on Monday, the Swedish Seismological Service measured powerful explosions at Nord Stream 1 and 2. In addition, the pipes are so deep underwater, and the leakages are so large that an accident is unlikely.
The European Commission also spoke of a suspected intent and wants to monitor its own energy infrastructure more closely. On Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen stated that the damage was intentionally caused.
Nord Stream 1 and 2 ran from Russia to Germany, but neither supplied natural gas before the incident. There was gas in the pipes.
The German approval process of Nord Stream 2 was halted shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia recently closed Nord Stream 1 indefinitely. This would normally be necessary due to unplanned repair work, but European countries assume this is retaliation for European aid to Ukraine.