Who made a hole in the Nord Streams and why Europe rejoices

MOSCOW, 28 Sep — PRIME. The European Union is interested in any investigation into the incidents on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, EU diplomat Josep Borrell said on Wednesday morning. According to him, the latest information on leaks from pipelines points to deliberate actions: the incidents are not accidental.

On Monday, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 ready for operation, Nord Stream 2 AG, reported that an emergency occurred in Danish waters near the island of Bornholm on one of the lines of the pipeline, which was filled with technical gas after construction. The incident was accompanied by a sharp drop in pressure. The reasons for the incident are unknown, an investigation is underway, the operator specified. Later, the Nord Stream operator reported a decrease in pressure on both strings. The reasons are also unknown, Nord Stream AG noted.

“The EU is deeply concerned about the damage to Nord Stream 1 and 2… Security and environmental issues are of the highest priority. These incidents are not accidental and affect us all,” Borrell said in a statement, noting that “all available information indicates that these leaks are the result of deliberate actions.” “We will support any investigation aimed at obtaining full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase our own resilience in the field of energy security,” the head of European diplomacy added.

The situation with Nord Stream is being actively discussed by foreign media and commented on by political figures.

European leaders said sabotage was the most likely cause of the leaks. In particular, this was stated by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who threatened a decisive response to the “deliberate violation” of the European energy infrastructure.

On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow is ready to consider requests for a joint investigation into the causes of the Nord Stream accident if they come from European countries, but so far there have not been any.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

Germany and Denmark are also considering the version of leaks at Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 due to sabotage. In particular, a German security official said on condition of anonymity that “the evidence indicates that it was more of a forceful act than a technical problem.”

The Swedish seismic center believes that powerful underwater explosions were registered in the area of ​​gas leaks from Nord Stream on Monday. The Swedish police launched an investigation into a possible sabotage after the emergency on the Nord Stream.

The Swedish Maritime Administration, in connection with the emergency at Nord Stream, recommended that ships bypass the gas leak area in the Baltic Sea at a distance of at least five nautical miles (about 9 kilometers).

AT THE EPICENTER OF THE ECONOMIC BATTLE

According to the authors of the American edition of the Wall Street Journal, pipelines for the export of “blue fuel” from Russia to the EU countries were at the center of an “economic war”.

Now Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 do not export gas, but before the emergency they remained filled with gas. Deliveries through the first pipeline have been suspended since the end of August due to problems with the repair of Siemens turbines caused by Western sanctions. The certification of the second was suspended by Germany after the completion of construction and full readiness for its operation.

Despite this, the situation with “flows” jeopardizes the further supply of Europe. On European stock exchanges, prices went up again and on Wednesday morning, September 28, they exceed the mark of two thousand dollars per thousand cubic meters.

In addition, the situation endangers European industry. And earlier there were statements that European industrial giants intend to transfer their production overseas – to the United States – due to energy shortages and double-digit inflation. Now, when the future provision of EU countries with hydrocarbons is unclear, the trend to transfer production to third countries will only accelerate.

According to the German edition of Welt, citing sources, neither in Germany, neither in the partner countries of Germany “no one believes in a random pile of accidents on pipelines and is inclined to sabotage. Politico writes that these events are moving the energy crisis in Europe into a new dangerous phase.

Spiegel magazine recalled on Tuesday that the White House warned the German authorities a few weeks ago about impending attacks on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.

STRANGE JOY OF EUROPEAN POLITICS

On Tuesday, Polish ex-Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski took to social media to express his joy over the incident, writing “Thank you USA,” without specifying exactly what he meant. Later, he published on his profile a quote from US President Joe Biden, who threatened to destroy the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that this post is essentially a gratitude to Washington from a resident of Europe for sabotage.

“Sikorsky, a citizen of an EU country, a member of the European Parliament, who previously held the official post of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, thanked the United States for sabotage … For the destruction of civilian infrastructure on the territory of the EU countries … The person himself denounced himself as a Euro-hater,” the representative of the Foreign Ministry said on air radio Sputnik and added that Moscow is waiting for the EU’s reaction to the words of the Polish politician.

In France, the leader of the faction of the far-right National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, announced the need for an international investigation into gas leaks in pipelines. “While sabotage is going on, there are people who really want to aggravate the situation, push for war. This is extremely worrying. It is necessary that the international organizations, whose job it is, establish who is responsible for this act of sabotage,” — Le Pen noted.

US officials, commenting on the situation around the emergency, said that Washington is ready to assist European countries in the supply of scarce energy resources.