Finland blames 'external activity' after undersea natural gas pipeline breached

Finland blames 'external activity' after undersea natural gas pipeline breached
by Clyde Hughes
Washington DC (UPI) Oct 10, 2023
Damages from a natural gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea that were detected Sunday appear to be intentional, Finland's president said Tuesday.

A communications cable linking Finland and Estonia also was breached.

The Finnish government said that authorities discovered the damage to the Baltic connector natural gas pipeline at about 2 a.m. local time.

The destruction harkens back to the damage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in September 2022 that affected natural gas flowing from Russia to the rest of Europe. The pipeline rupture was a source of controversy at the time because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and European sanctions against Moscow.

Russia has denied any involvement despite initially being accused of retaliation because of Western sanctions.

"It is likely that the damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of external activity," Finland President Sauli Niinisto said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "The cause of the damage is not yet clear; the investigation continues."

Niinisto said his administration was "in contact with our allies and partners" and that the incident had "no effect on our supply security."

Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called the incident an "attack" caused by "external action."

"It is too early to draw conclusions on who or what caused the damage," Orpo said. Finland's Coast Guard said it also found "clear damage" to the pipeline on Tuesday, suggesting that the breach was deliberate.

The incident could trigger a military response by NATO since Finland recently joined the defense alliance. The country's economic affairs ministry said it "could take months" for the pipeline to be repaired.

Later Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that the commission stands in solidarity with Finland and Estonia.

"I assured the Finnish and Estonian prime ministers that the European Commission will continue to cooperate with member states and NATO to strengthen resilience against threats to our critical infrastructure," von der Leyen said. "Only by working together can we counter those seeking to undermine our security, and ensure that our critical infrastructure remains robust and reliable in the face of evolving threats."