• Leaks found in two Russian gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark.
• Infrastructure at heart of an energy crisis since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Both pipelines have been flash points in an escalating energy war between Europe and Russia.

On Tuesday, European countries rushed to investigate unexplained leaks in two Russian gas pipelines running beneath the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark, infrastructure at the heart of an energy crisis since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Experts and Russia, which built the network, agreed that sabotage could not be ruled out.

Sweden’s Maritime Authority issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, shortly after Denmark restricted shipping within a five nautical mile radius due to a leak in the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Both pipelines have been flashpoints in an escalating energy war between European capitals and Moscow, which has battered major Western economies, sent gas prices soaring, and sparked a search for alternative energy supplies.

Russia stated that the leak in the Russian network was cause for concern, and that sabotage was one possible cause. “No option can be ruled out right now,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Neither pipeline was pumping gas to Europe at the time the leaks were discovered amid the dispute over Ukraine’s war, but the incidents will dash any remaining hopes that Europe could receive gas via Nord Stream 1 before winter.

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“The simultaneous destruction of three strings of the Nord Stream system’s offshore gas pipelines on the same day is unprecedented,” said network operator Nord Stream AG. “It is not yet possible to predict when the gas transportation infrastructure will be restored.”

Despite the fact that neither pipeline was operational, gas was still present.

Dan Jorgensen, Denmark’s energy minister, said in a written statement that leaking gas was discovered in Nord Stream 2 between Russia and Denmark on Monday.

Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled company with a monopoly on Russian gas pipeline exports, declined to comment.

Russia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending them entirely in August, blaming Western sanctions for the technical difficulties. According to European politicians, this was a ruse to stop supplying gas.

The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had not yet begun commercial operations. Germany cancelled the plan to use it to supply gas just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February.

The leaks occurred just before the ceremonial opening of the Baltic Pipe, which transports gas from Norway to Poland and is a centrepiece of Warsaw’s efforts to diversify away from Russian supplies, on Tuesday.

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) warned oil companies on Monday to be wary of unidentified drones seen flying near Norwegian offshore oil and gas platforms, warning of possible attacks.

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