Stoltenberg promised a NATO response if the attack on Balticconnector is confirmed

Stoltenberg promised a NATO response if the attack on Balticconnector is confirmed

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NATO will respond decisively if the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia is damaged as a result of a deliberate attack. This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before the start of a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. Broadcast was carried out on YouTube.

“If a deliberate attack on critical NATO infrastructure is confirmed, there will be a unified and decisive response from the alliance,” he assured.

On the afternoon of October 8, Finnish Gasgrid reported a drop in pressure in the offshore gas pipeline at night. According to the company, the cause could be a leak. Later the Finnish government allowedthat the leak may have occurred as a result of an intentional act.

On October 10, the Finnish TV channel Yle, citing a source, reported that the leak on the gas pipeline was not an accident. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö also confirmed that the gas pipeline was damaged as a result of “external activities,” Reuters wrote.

The 80 km long bi-directional gas pipeline Balticconnector was launched in 2019. It runs along the bottom of the Baltic Sea and the land route between the Finnish Inkoo and the Estonian Paldiski. Its capacity is up to 2.6 billion cubic meters. m per year.

On September 26, 2022, the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which pass through the Baltic Sea, were damaged as a result of sabotage. After this, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of sabotage. Initially, Germany, Sweden and Denmark planned to conduct a joint investigation with Russia, but later abandoned this idea. In October 2022, Sweden announced the completion of the investigation, but did not name those responsible for the incident.

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