Sabotage was behind underwater explosions that sent gas spewing from two major pipelines connecting Europe and Russia, Western leaders concurred Wednesday. The European Union’s top diplomat said the leaks from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea were caused by a “deliberate act,” though he stopped short of directly accusing anyone.
But while neither pipeline had been delivering natural gas to Europe, the continent’s standoff with Russia and its looming winter energy crisis meant alarm bells were ringing.
“All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the bloc’s 27 members. “Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.”
According to SeaPowerMagazine.org, the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet recently conducted “exercises” and “research” with “mock explosives” in the exact location where the pipeline blew up. On Wednesday, September 28th the US embassy in Moscow urged Americans to leave Russia immediately. Despite the Biden Administration vowing to stop the pipeline in the event of war between Russian and Ukraine, Secretary of State Tony Blinken stated that sabotaging the pipelines was in “no one’s interest” Tuesday.
