Russia-Ukraine updates: Sweden finds fourth Nord Stream gas leak | News | DW
A fourth leak has been found in Nord Stream’s gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish coast guard said on Thursday.
“There are two leaks on the Swedish side and two leaks on the Danish side,” a coast guard official told reporters.
The fourth leak was on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, near a larger hole found on neighboring Nord Stream 1, the official said.
The report came after three pipeline leaks were found near the Danish island of Bornholm following several explosions recorded by seismologists.
European Union authorities suspect the damage was deliberate sabotage amid tensions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the bloc has pledged a “robust” response to any attempt to disrupt its energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that leaks from Nord Stream’s pipelines have occurred in an economic sea zone in Denmark and Sweden, and that those countries are “fully controlled” by US intelligence services.
Here is more news from or about the war in Ukraine on September 29.
Russian partial mobilization likely to cause ‘brain drain’: UK Ministry of Defence
The number of wealthy and well-educated Russians leaving their country in the wake of the partial mobilization announced by President Vladimir Putin could have a significant impact on the Russian economy, according to an intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defence.
“When combined with the reservists being mobilized, the domestic economic impact of reduced labor availability and the acceleration of the ‘brain drain’ is likely to be increasingly significant,” the update said.
It said the number of those leaving to avoid conscription probably exceeds “the size of the total invasion force Russia was fielding in February 2022.”
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy appeals to Germany again for more weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he once again called for additional arms deliveries from Germany in a phone call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday.
“On the topic of defense, I emphasized that we are waiting for an anti-missile defense system from Germany,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Wednesday night, adding that he was “grateful” for Germany’s willingness to help with anti-aircraft defense.
Zelenskyy said he had discussed a number of other topics with the German chancellor, including the suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. He said he had also insisted that the planned new package of EU sanctions against Russia would be “really strong, not just symbolic.”
The German government said Scholz assured Zelenskyy in the phone call that Berlin would “concretely help Ukraine politically, economically and with humanitarian aid, and to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
More Ukraine-related content from DW
The damage to the Nord Stream pipelines is not only creating tension amid the conflict in Ukraine, but could also have catastrophic effects on the world’s climate, as this report from DW indicates.
tj/sms (AFP, Reuters, AP)