Ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on the leaks in the Baltic Sea pipelines, a report from Denmark and Sweden estimated the likely magnitude of the explosions. Russia’s head of state Putin blames the Anglo-Saxons for the “sabotage”.
According to a Danish-Swedish report, the four leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea were caused by underwater explosions with an explosive force of “hundreds of kilos” of explosives. The force of the explosions was rated at 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter scale, according to the official report sent to the UN Security Council. At the request of Moscow, the committee wants to discuss the leaks later in the day.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the West for the leaks in the Baltic Sea gas pipelines. “They (the Anglo-Saxons) went into sabotage. Unbelievable but true,” he said at a ceremony marking the annexation of several Ukrainian territories. “By organizing explosions on the international gas pipeline Nord Stream (…), they have effectively started destroying the common European energy infrastructure.”
The term “Anglo-Saxons” in Russian can mean the Americans, the British, or both nations together. Putin had previously spoken of an “act of international terrorism” with regard to the leaks, but did not name any possible masterminds.
The “Spiegel” had already reported that German security authorities assumed that highly effective explosive devices were used. Calculations would have shown that explosive devices with an effect comparable to that of 500 kilos of TNT must have been used to destroy the tubes.
According to the Danish-Swedish report, gas leaks from the two leaks at Nord Stream 1 are expected to end on Sunday. When this will be the case with Nord Stream 2 is open. The Swedish Coast Guard announced that the gas leak from a leak at Nord Stream 2 had decreased. In the case of a damaged area on Nord Stream 1, on the other hand, there are no signs of weakening.
A total of four leaks were discovered this week off the Danish island of Bornholm on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that run from Russia to Germany. Although the lines are not in operation, they are filled with gas for technical reasons.
An act of sabotage is suspected. The eyes of Western countries are directed towards Russia. Moscow rejects any involvement – and blames another state. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently said that it was very difficult to imagine that “such an act of terrorism would occur without the involvement of a state”.
In the midst of the Ukraine war, the leaks are not only causing political turbulence, but are also likely to have harmful effects on the environment and climate. The Danish-Swedish report states that “the potential impact on marine life in the Baltic Sea is worrying”. The climate impacts are “probably very significant”.
Natural gas consists of up to 99 percent methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Over a 100-year period, the global warming effect of methane gas is 28 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. However, methane in the atmosphere only takes about ten years to decompose, while CO2 remains in the atmosphere for several decades or even centuries.
When it comes into contact with water, some of the methane from the Nord Stream pipelines oxidizes, producing CO2, according to Atmospheric physicist Grant Allen of the University of Manchester. However, given the extent of the leaks, most of the natural gas will rise to the surface of the Baltic Sea in the form of methane.
