‘Hybrid war’: Leaders scramble as fourth leak detected in Nord Stream pipelines in Baltic Sea

Another leak in a critical pipeline has left world leaders scrambling once again to find the culprit.

This handout satellite image taken on September 26, 2022 and released on September 27, 2022 by Planet Labs PBC shows the gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline off the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm. Picture: Planet Labs PBC/AFP

Swedish authorities have confirmed a fourth leak has been detected in pipelines connecting Russia to Europe, after explosions were reported earlier this week in suspected sabotage.

“There are two leaks on the Swedish side and two leaks on the Danish side,” a spokesperson from the Swedish Coast Guard said.

Three leaks were confirmed earlier this week on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, sparking a firestorm amongst leaders in the EU and the US.

Suspicions of sabotage immediately emerged after the leaks were first detected. Moscow has denied it was behind the explosions, as did the United States.

The White House has since rubbished Moscow’s suggestion it would damage the pipeline as “ridiculous”.

World leaders have continued to speculate over exactly what the explosions mean in the context of the Ukraine war, with several warning it could bring a raft of complications beyond mere energy supply.

In a chilling declaration, Latvian foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said it “seems we (have) entered a new phase of hybrid war”.

“Sabotage on Nord Stream I and II pipelines must be classified as most serious security and environmental incident in the Baltic Sea,” he said.

Those sentiments were echoed by analyst Simone Tagliapietra, who went one further by accusing Russia of escalating its energy war with the EU.

“Russia brought its energy weaponisation against Europe to the next level: from economic to hybrid war. Need to adjust our response and preparedness accordingly,” the analyst from Brussels-based think tank Bruegel tweeted on Thursday.

“If what we have seen today happens at any of our pipelines from Norway or Algeria during the winter, we are in real trouble.”

German defence Minister Christine Lambrecht warned how exposed the EU was to crises with essential infrastructure sitting as targets.

“The presumed act of sabotage on the Baltic Sea pipelines has again made clear how reliant we are on critical infrastructure – including that below water,” she said.

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Swedish authorities have confirmed a fourth leak has been detected in pipelines running from Russia to Europe, after explosions were reported earlier this week in suspected sabotage.

Sweden had previously reported a leak on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline northeast of Bornholm, while Denmark has confirmed a leak on Nord Stream 2 to the southeast of the island, and another to the northeast above Nord Stream 1.

The vast leaks cause significant bubbling at the surface of the sea several hundred metres wide, making it impossible to immediately inspect the structures.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which link Russia to Germany, have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in a suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The UN Security Council will meet Friday to discuss the incident.

Russia launches investigation into ‘international terrorism’

Russia’s FSB security service said it had launched an “international terrorism” investigation, the Russian prosecutor’s office announced, citing “intentional actions” to damage the pipelines.

Amid the claims and counter claims, the UN Security Council said it will meet Friday -- at Russia’s request -- to discuss the leaks.

“As the current Security Council president France has informed us today that Russia has requested a meeting about the Nord Stream leaks and this meeting is being planned for Friday,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde told a press conference.

Russian representative Dmitry Polyanskiy said the meeting would take place at 3 pm (1900 GMT) at UN headquarters in New York.

The question of who is responsible has prompted high-level finger-pointing, with Moscow charging the United States had already said Nord Stream 2 was “finished” if Russia invaded Ukraine.

“Biden is obliged to answer the question of whether the US carried out its threat,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media.

Suspicions of sabotage immediately emerged after the leaks were first detected. Moscow has denied it was behind the explosions, as did the United States.

Washington dismissed the suggestion, with a spokeswoman for the National Security Council saying: “We all know Russia has a long history of spreading disinformation and is doing it again here.” Among Western allies, suspicion for the leaks has focused on Russia, which has cut gas supplies to Europe in retaliation for severe Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

They “are not a coincidence”, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated. “All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act.”

He warned: “Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.”