If gas pipeline attack was deliberate, NATO will respond, Stoltenberg says

Brussels, 11 October (CTK correspondent) – If it is confirmed that the damage to the gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia was a deliberate attack, the North Atlantic Alliance will respond. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this ahead of today’s meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut down early on Sunday morning due to an unusual drop in gas pressure. An undersea telecommunications cable was also damaged. Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation indicated that it was leaning toward the theory that the infrastructure had been deliberately damaged. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also subsequently said that the gas leak was probably caused by external interference, but that the investigation was still at an early stage.

„The important thing now is to find out what happened and how it could have happened. If it is confirmed that this was a deliberate attack on NATO critical infrastructure, it will of course be serious and will mean a united and determined NATO response,“ Stoltenberg said.

He added that he was in contact with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö about the incident.

The Balticconnector gas pipeline is 77 kilometres long and runs between the Finnish town of Inkoo and Paldiski in Estonia. Gas can flow through the pipeline in both directions, depending on where demand is higher.

Last September, unexplained explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, through which Russia was sending and planned to send gas to Germany and onward to Europe. Russia called the incident a terrorist attack and suggested that Western countries were behind it. Western politicians rejected Russia’s accusations, and some of them instead blamed Moscow for the attack on the pipelines. The New York Times later reported that a pro-Ukrainian group may have been behind the sabotage. Kyiv has also denied any involvement.