Sweden has found a new leak in a major undersea pipeline carrying Russian natural gas to the EU, making it the fourth discovered this week.
Sweden’s coast guards told news agency TT that they have a vessel on the site of the leak, off Sweden. All four detected leaks are in international waters, two near Sweden and two near Denmark, according to AP News.
The Nord Stream pipelines run through the Baltic to transport gas from Russia to Germany. Neither pipeline was operating, but both were filled with gas. The Danish and Swedish governments believe that the leaks off their countries were “deliberate actions.”
Denmark and Sweden reported gas leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines earlier, alerting authorities to the possibility of a deliberate attack.
Before the leaks were reported, explosions were recorded. A first explosion was recorded by seismologists early Monday southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. A second, stronger blast northeast of the island that night was equivalent to a magnitude-2.3 earthquake. Seismic stations in Denmark, Norway and Finland also registered the explosions.
Gas has been bubbling up from the pipelines since earlier this week, with Denmark estimating that the links would empty by Sunday, Bloomberg reports.
Some European officials and energy experts have said Russia is likely to blame for any sabotage it directly benefits from higher energy prices and economic anxiety across Europe, although others cautioned against pointing fingers until investigators are able to determine what happened.