Gas leak in Nord Stream pipelines likely caused by sabotage, Germany says
Russia says sabotage on the Nord Stream system cannot be ruled out
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Unprecedented leaks in the Nord Stream energy pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were likely the result of sabotage, Germany argued Tuesday.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline systems suffered three leaks in a single day on Tuesday, though neither pipeline was operating at the time. The damaged offshore pipelines lay at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
Neither of the pipelines was operating at the time of the damage, however. Nord Stream 1 had been operating at just 20% capacity since July and stopped service entirely at the end of August. Operators stated that international sanctions against Russia had made maintenance impossible.
Nord Stream 2, meanwhile, has never entered official operation as Germany declined to certify its completion last year. The project was stopped altogether just days ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
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Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, northern Germany, on Feb. 15, 2022. ( AP Photo/Michael Sohn | iStock)
Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, northern Germany, on Feb. 15. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File / AP Newsroom)
Moscow officials argue it is too soon to state that sabotage was the reason for the leaks but acknowledged that it was a possibility.
"No option can be ruled out right now," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday.
Germany is reportedly far less hesitant, however, with officials believing sabotage is virtually the only plausible cause for the leaks.
"We can't imagine a scenario that isn't a targeted attack. Everything speaks against a coincidence," a government official reportedly told German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken stated that sabotaging the pipelines was in "no one's interest" Tuesday. The White House National Security Council also stated that the U.S. would not "speculate on the cause."
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen sympathized with Germany's suspicions telling reporters that a cause other than sabotage would be "difficult to imagine," according to Insider.
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Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.