NATO, EU Say Gas Pipeline Leaks Are 'Sabotage' But Stop Short Of Pointing Finger At Russia

According to RFE/RL, NATO and the European Union said leaks in two major Russian underwater pipelines designed to ship natural gas to Germany were caused by "sabotage" and vowed to take strong action to protect critical European infrastructure.

However, their statements on September 28 stopped short of accusing anyone of being behind the incident, which caused natural gas prices in Europe to spike.

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which are owned by Kremlin-controlled Gazprom, burst in several locations in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden.

Neither of the pipelines is currently in operation amid a standoff between Moscow and Brussels over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on September 28 that he discussed the "sabotage" of the pipelines at a meeting with Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov in Brussels.

"We addressed the protection of critical infrastructure in NATO countries," the chief of the Western military alliance that also includes most EU countries said on Twitter.

The EU issued a strong warning the same day to anybody attempting to attack the energy backbones of the 27-nation bloc.

"Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement, echoing a warning by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Borrell announced that the bloc would step up the protection of its energy infrastructure following the incidents.

"We will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security," he noted.

Borrell's statements came after seismologists from Sweden and Denmark said they had recorded powerful explosions in areas near where evidence of leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea had been found, prompting Swedish police to launch an investigation into possible sabotage.

"These incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all," Borrell said.