Nord Stream damage may be irreparable – media – RT World News
What is being presented as potential sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines may have caused them irreparable damage, German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday, citing “governmental circles”. Both pipelines were badly damaged earlier this week.
If the damage is not repaired quickly enough, too much salty seawater could flow into pipes on the bottom of the Baltic Sea and corrode them irreversibly, German officials have warned, according to the outlet. Denmark said on Wednesday that its authorities would be able to launch an investigation into the matter within a week or two at the earliest due to « Security Concerns, » Tagesspiegel added.
The media does not mention any repair plans by Russia or Germany.
A group of senior German lawmakers was quick to point the finger at Russia and blame Moscow for the incident. “Attack on energy supply infrastructure aims to sow fear and terror,” Roderich Kiesewetter, a German MP and crisis prevention spokesman for the Conservative Union parliamentary group, told the RND media group.
“Therefore, it is likely that Russia is trying … to sow uncertainty among the European population” and supposedly demonstrate its ability to attack critical infrastructure, he added, accusing Moscow of employing a « state terrorism » approach.
The chairwoman of the German parliament’s defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, told reporters that “it cannot be excluded that [such attacks] will be led by Russia to shake up our markets. She also took the opportunity to call on Germany and the EU to « free » themselves from the « dependence on Russian raw materials as soon as possible. »
Danish authorities confirmed pipeline leaks on Monday after their operator reported a loss of pressure on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines earlier in the day. The Danish and Swedish authorities then mentioned a series of underwater explosions in the region. Authorities in Russia, the United States and Sweden said the leaks could be the result of a deliberate attack.
The EU is committed « the strongest answer possible » to any attack on its active energy infrastructure, but refrained from naming suspects in the Nord Stream incident. Russia called the incident a « terrorist attack » and said he would convene a meeting of the UN Security Council on the matter.
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