The pressure in one of the pipes of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline dropped to almost zero, the pipeline, apparently, was damaged near the Danish island of Bornholm. Local authorities have already imposed restrictions on shipping in the area due to a gas leak, according to data from the Danish Maritime Authority. Ulrich Lissek, a spokesman for the Nord Stream 2 AG gas pipeline operator, also confirmed the information about the leak, according to him, the pressure in the pipe dropped from 105 to 7 bar.
“There must have been a hole somewhere in the pipeline, but no one knows exactly where,” Lissek said, noting that the authorities had already been warned of the possible consequences.
A representative of the German Ministry of Economy told Reuters that they are aware of the situation, but cannot yet comment on the merits, since they do not have all the necessary information. Nord Stream 2 was filled with gas at the beginning of 2022, the Russian side hoped to obtain permission to operate from the German authorities, which had been considering this issue for a long time due to US pressure on them. However, after the start of the war in Ukraine, the issue of operating the gas pipeline came to naught – the FRG refused to use it as a sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian authorities.
The Russian authorities, in response to these actions , began to reduce the supply of gas through the Nord Stream, Moscow insisted that the sanctions imposed because of the aggression in Ukraine did not allow servicing the gas pipeline. As a result, Gazprom completely stopped the flow of gas through the pipeline, and the Russian authorities continued to lobby for the launch of Nord Stream 2. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that the pipeline is new and ready for operation.