Curiouser and curiouser. International waters and the equivalent of 100 kg. of dynamite. The yield of a Tomahawk cruise missile is equivalent to 500 kg of TNT. David Petreus speculated on CNN that the Russians did it, but even if that’s likely, it’s early for forensics, just like the Ukrainian invasion may still be in its early days. Lots of finger-pointing by the usual disinformation sources, expect more in the coming days.
Two undersea leaks that began in the Russian-owned Nord Stream gas pipelines on Monday were likely caused by powerful underwater explosions, according to Swedish and Danish seismographic data.
It is "very clear from the seismic record that these are blasts," Björn Lund, director of the Swedish National Seismic Network at Uppsala University told NPR in a phone interview. "These are not earthquakes; they are not landslides underwater."
[...]
Lund says both the Swedish network and the Danish Seismic Network picked up the explosions on Monday. The first blast occurred at 2:03 a.m. Swedish time, and a second, larger explosion occurred at 7:04 p.m. "Preliminary estimates would say that this is at least equivalent to 100 kilograms of dynamite," he says.
Lund says the seismic data was able to pinpoint the second blast to within just a few kilometers of the location the Swedish Maritime Authority gave as the site of the second leak. "We're not spot on, but we're fairly close to the area of the leakage," he says.
Lund says there's no natural event that could have created such unique seismic signatures less than 24 hours apart. "There's nothing I could come up with that would produce this," he says.
Instead, he says that the seismic events closely resembled what the network has detected in the past when the Swedish navy has conducted training exercises using depth charges and undersea mines. Lund says he has notified the Swedish armed forces of his findings; they did not immediately respond to NPR's emailed request for comment.
www.npr.org/...
German officials reportedly believe the crucial Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines connecting Russia to Europe have been sabotaged.
Der Tagesspiegel, a newspaper in Germany, where the pipelines land from Russia, reported a government source as saying: "We can't imagine a scenario that isn't a targeted attack. Everything speaks against a coincidence."
The Danish Navy has sent an Absalon-class frigate to site of the leaks for monitoring purposes and to warn ships to stay away, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported. A no-fly zone is in operation over the affected area, a German government official told Insider.
The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipeline systems are the largest for transporting natural-gas from Russia to Europe. Each system consists of two pipelines.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the newer Nord Stream 2 system, which at the time was filled with natural-gas but wasn't operational, was suspended. And as the war has dragged on, Russia has gradually crimped supply through Nord Stream 1, which was fully-operational before the invasion.
The Danish Energy Agency said Monday it had discovered a leak in the Nord Stream 2 system near Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish Maritime Authority said leaks had been detected in both Nord Steam 1 and Nord Stream 2 near Bornholm.
- The leaks pose a massive danger to ships in the Baltic Sea where the pipes are located, and to the wider environment, analysts say.
- The leaks will scupper any remaining expectations that Europe could receive gas via Nord Stream 1 before winter, analysts noted.
Neither pipeline was pumping gas at the time of the leaks: Nord Stream 1 stopped pumping gas to Europe “indefinitely” earlier this month, with Moscow’s operator saying international sanctions on Russia prevented it from carrying out vital maintenance work.
The newer pipeline Nord Stream 2, meanwhile, has never officially opened as Germany refused to certify it for commercial operations due to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
www.cnbc.com/...
The exchange comes at the same moment that Germany magazine Der Spiegel has reported that the CIA warned Germany weeks ago of a coming attack on natural gas pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and 2, which transport natural gas Russia to Germany. Der Spiegel notes that Russia could have pulled off such the attack on the pipelines, but “It is difficult to see whether Russia or Ukraine could have an interest in such an incident.” Indeed, Russia could have restricted natural gas flows like it did earlier this month when it blamed an oil leak as the excuse, without blowing up the pipelines.
www.forbes.com/…
