--- title: "Russia’s Main Pipelines Leak Natural Gas Into Sea After Apparent Explosions" description: "Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines have sprung some leaks, causing concern they may have been sabotaged as an escalation of the Ukrainian conflict." date: "2022-09-27" modified: "2022-09-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-pipelines-leak" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "natural gas leaks" - "Russia" - "the digest" - "ukraine" --- # Russia’s Main Pipelines Leak Natural Gas Into Sea After Apparent Explosions ![Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines have sprung some leaks, causing concern they may have been sabotaged as an escalation of the Ukrainian conflict.]() *\Image: Picture Alliance via Getty / Futurism\* ## Nordic Nonsense Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines, which supply Europe with most of its natural gas, have sprung leaks after [apparent explosions](), leading to concern that the equipment might have been intentionally sabotaged as an escalation in Russia's Ukrainian conflict. As [the *Wall Street Journal* reports,]() the pipeline pair act as the main links for Russian natural gas between Europe and Germany — and by extension the rest of Western Europe — and have been at the center of the escalating Ukraine conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin appearing to use the pipelines and the much-needed energy they supply [as leverage]() in the face of sanctions from the European Union. ## EU Action European authorities are currently investigating the leaks, the *WSJ* notes, as leaders float the potential for sabotage. In Poland, Prime Minister [Mateusz Morawiecki declared]() without citing evidence that the pipelines were intentionally damaged. The president of Denmark and — curiously — Russia itself also said sabotage could be the root cause of the problem. The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) announced earlier on Tuesday that it had found a total of three gas leaks in Danish and Swedish waters near a small Baltic island, the *WSJ* reports. The agency warned sailors to keep a distance of five nautical miles or more away from the Swedish island, and also cautioned cautioned pilots to keep at least 1,000 meters over the site of the leaks. ## Seismic Proportions Seismologists said that they detected two tremors in the area of the leaks early Monday morning, and have said that they don't believe they were of natural origin. "We are pretty sure that the two events were blasts," Swedish National Seismic Network seismologist told the *WSJ*. "They are not earthquakes." Though the pipelines were not running, gas prices rose five percent in the wake of the news, the *WSJ* notes — another example of how, regardless of the cause, this is a huge deal in an already-catastrophic situation in Europe. **READ MORE:** [Europe Investigates Unexplained Leaks in Nord Stream Gas Pipelines]() \[*The Wall Street Journal*\] **More on the Ukraine invasion:** [*Russia Warns That Nuclear Plant It Captured May Leak Waste Over Europe*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()