Two underwater explosions “probably due to detonations” were recorded near the sites of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline leaks shortly before they were detected, a Swedish seismic institute said on Tuesday.
A first “massive energy emission” with a magnitude of 1.9 was recorded during the night from Sunday to Monday at 02:03 local time (00:03 GMT) southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm and then another of magnitude 2.3 at 19:04 (17:04 GMT) on Monday night in the northeast of the island, Peter Schmidt of the Swedish National Seismic Network told AFP.
“We interpret that it most likely comes from some form of detonation,” he said.
Bubbling up to 1000m in diameter
Out of service due to the war in Ukraine, the gas pipelines linking Russia with Germany were suddenly affected by several spectacular and unexplained leaks into the Baltic Sea, raising suspicions of sabotage.
These leaks are visible on the sea surface, with bubbles ranging from 200 to 1000 meters in diameter.
Kyiv claimed Tuesday that the leaks are the result of a “terrorist attack planned by Moscow,” without providing evidence. For its part, the Kremlin said it was “extremely concerned,” considering that “no” hypothesis should be ruled out, including sabotage.
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Source: BFM TV
