Finland suspects "external activity" damaged gas line to Estonia
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Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Helsinki in July 2023. Photo: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty Images
Finland has opened an investigation into damage to an underwater gas and communication connection between it and Estonia that occurred over the weekend.
Why it matters: The damage to the Balticconnector echoes the unresolved explosive attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines just over a year ago.
- Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said Tuesday that the country currently believes the damage was caused by "external activity," but did not offer any other details about how the damage occurred.
Catch up quickly: On Sunday, the pipeline suddenly shut down after an unusual drop in pressure from a leak was detected, though no explanation for the leak was given at the time.
- Norwegian seismology institute Norsar said on Tuesday its sensors detected "a probable explosion" along the Finnish coast in the early morning hours on Sunday.
- The 94-mile Balticconnector, which runs from Paldiski, Estonia, to Ingå, Finland, joins the two countries' gas grids and can transfer around 77.5 million square feet of gas per day.
- Both Estonia and Finland are members of NATO, with Finland just gaining membership earlier this year.
What they're saying: Niinistö said on Tuesday that though the country's investigation is ongoing, it's"likely that the damage to both the gas pipe and the communication cable is the result of external activity" but did not attribute the suspected sabotage to another country.
- "Finland is prepared and our preparedness is good," Niinistö added. "These events have no effect on our security of service."
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned "any act of deliberate destruction of critical infrastructure" in a statement on Tuesday.
- "This is the second time in just over a year that this kind of critical infrastructure is damaged," Leyen said. "Our pipelines and underwater cables connect citizens and companies across Europe and to the rest of the world."
The big picture: Finland sought NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- At the time, Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Finland's ascension was an "encroachment on Russia's security" that would require Moscow to take unspecified "countermeasures."
- Despite three separate investigations into the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, no party has been deemed responsible.
- Like the Nord Stream attacks, the suspected sabotage against Balticconnector comes just a few months before winter begins.
Go deeper: Gen. Milley on Ukraine aid: "Dangerous situation" if Putin wins war
