Indubitably, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President, staunchly dismissed allegations that his nation was behind the damage of the undersea gas pipeline linking Finland and Estonia. The rupture in the Baltic-connector pipeline was traced back to a mechanical force, investigators revealed.
Deeming it nonsensical to cast aspersions on Russia, Mr Putin proposed that an anchor mishap or seismic event could be responsible for the pipeline’s compromised state. The pipeline’s operations had been suspended last weekend when operators reported an abrupt decline in pressure.
In another related incident, a telecommunications cable suffered damage. Helsinki maintained that the leak in the 77km-long gas pipeline was the outcome of external interferences. Reportedly, confidential sources pointed at Russian sabotage as vengeance for Finland joining NATO in April of the current year.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that the damage was too severe to have been inflicted by a diver or an unmanned submersible, according to the ERR News.
In contrast, the Russian leader demurred, claiming ignorance of the pipeline’s existence. Putin added that the claims were mere diversions from terror assaults that the West perpetrated on Nord Stream.
Should this occurrence prove intentional, the result would invoke a united and firm response from NATO allies, voiced Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Mr Stoltenberg added that NATO, along with the allies, were pooling their shared intelligence to support the ongoing inquiries.
Meanwhile, the Estonian Navy’s commander, Jüri Saska, declined to indulge in speculations concerning the damage’s cause on Tuesday. Finnish authorities noted that the damages to the cable and pipeline occurred at distinct locations within Finland’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, conveyed that the discovered wreckage exceeded what normal pipeline usage or pressure fluctuations could inflict. He further mentioned that other plausible reasons like seismic activities had already been refuted.
With the pipeline serving as Finland’s exclusive gateway to the broader European Union’s gas network, Mr Orpo reassured that the country had ample alternative gas sources to maintain its energy security unhindered.
The incident has brought the issue of energy security back into the spotlight, following last year’s explosions in the Nord Stream pipeline.
In operation since 2020, the Baltic-connector pipeline has been pivotal in exchanging gas between Estonia and Finland, depending on each country’s requirements. Finnish dependencies on Russian imports got severed last May, leaving the pipeline as the sole import channel. Consequently, natural gas today constitutes approximately 5% of Finland’s energy consumption.
