WEAPONS OF GAS DESTRUCTION

Putin feared to have SABOTAGED Nord Stream pipelines as the sea bubbles from huge leak sending gas prices soaring

VLADIMIR Putin is feared to have sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines - sending gas prices soaring further in Europe today.

Huge bubbles erupted on the sea surface following reports of explosions as seismologists detected mini earthquakes near the Danish island of Bornholm.

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Denmark revealed a picture of the leak taken from above showing the sea writhing with gas
Satellite photos show the extent of the damage in the Baltic SeaCredit: AP

Ukraine accused Russia of a "terror attack" after three leaks appeared in the two strategic pipes which run beneath the Baltic Sea.

The twin 800-mile pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 can ferry 110billion cubic metres of gas annually from Russia into Western Europe.

Both were shut off in an energy row between Moscow and the West linked to the war in Ukraine.

Dramatic video and pictures released by Denmark's armed forces shows the sea bubbling with gas and white foam from the huge leak.

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And one of the roiling maelstroms is more than half a mile wide as gas drains out of the pipeline.

Energy bosses have also warned there is the risk of explosions in the area - and ships could sink they get too close due to the gas in the water.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the gas leak is "nothing more that a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression towards EU".

Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said it was an "act of sabotage" while his Danish and Swedish counterparts viewed the leaks as "deliberate actions".

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Sweden's PM Magdalena Andersson said intelligence she received suggests the blasts were intentional.

"We have Swedish intelligence, but we have also received information in our contacts with Denmark, and based on this concluded that this is probably a deliberate act. It is probably a matter of sabotage," she said.

"It is not a matter of an attack on Swedish or Danish territory. But that said, the government is taking what happened very seriously, not the least in light of the current security situation on our close proximity."

Meanwhile, it's emerged that CIA reportedly warned Germany of a possible attack on the Nord Stream pipelines weeks ago, according to Der Spiegel.

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Sweden has confirmed they detected two underwater explosions near to the leak sites on Monday.

German gas engineers reported there was an "explosive" pressure drop in the pipeline and the pipes have been "torn open".

Swedish seismologist Bjorn Lund detected a blast with the force of 100kgs of TNT - and Norwegian monitoring group Norsar registered an earthquake of around magnitude 2.2.

Mr Lund said he had detected two explosions close to the pipeline on Monday, one at 2am and another at 7.04pm.

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"There is no doubt that these were explosions," he said.

Nord Stream AG - the pipeline's operator - said it was impossible to estimate when the gas network would be fixed.

The operator said: "The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented.

"It is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure."

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It's an act of sabotage, related to the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine

Mateusz MorawieckiPolish PM

Flows via the pipeline, which had been working at only 20 per cent of capacity since July, were halted at the end of August.

Russia's state owned oil and gas company Gazprom said it needed essential maintenance, but then did not reopen the line.

European leaders said the shutdown was nakedly political as Putin tries to hold the West to ransom over its support for Kyiv.

While the apparent sabotage won't immediately impact supply, it has sent prices soaring by up to 12 per cent, reports Bloomberg.

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Ships and planes have been told to stay way with an exclusion zone of five nautical miles and 1,000 metres altitude set up around the leaks due to fears of a disastrous explosion.

Danish warship HDMS Absalon - a 6,300 ton frigate armed with missiles and a five-inch naval gun - has been deployed to enforce the exclusion zone.

Germany and Denmark reportedly both are considering sabotage likely, with Copenhagen admitting there is a "really big hole".

Danish F-16 fighter planes spotted the leak after realising the "sea was bubbling" as pressure in the pipeline dropped rapidly on Monday.

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Energy boss Kristoffer Bottzauw, from Denmark's energy agency, warned it could take a week for gas to stop draining out of the pipeline.

"The sea surface is full of methane, which means there is an increased risk of explosions in the area," said Bottzauw.

Europe is already braced for a bleak winter as gas becomes a key pawn in Putin's clash on the West.

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German federal investigators fear special forces using a submarine could have been used to damage Nord Stream, reports Tagesspiegel.

The source said: "Everything speaks against a coincidence [...]our imagination no longer produces a scenario that is not a targeted attack."

And magazine Spiegel quoted government sources who said officials fear its deliberate sabotage to destabilise the energy markets.

It comes as concerns rise over whether Putin will deploy his shadowy fleet of submarines to cripple the West by cutting vital undersea cables.

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Russia has described the attack on the pipelines as "very concerning news".

Putin's personal spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is an issue related to the energy security of the entire continent."

And when asked about sabotage, Vlad's mouthpiece replied: "No option can be ruled out right now."

European gas prices rose for first time after falling for the last four days - sparking hopes at some easing of the looming energy crisis.

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The benchmark gas rose as high as 194.74 euros per megawatt hour - before dipping again at close at 191 euros, and the UK equivalent rose 8.6 per cent.

Rolling blackouts, four day weeks, and normal people being unable to afford to heat their homes are just some of the consequences feared to sweep across the continent as temperatures plunge.

Energy has become a tug of war between the West and Russia as Putin's tyrannical regime is sanctioned and isolated due to their savage war in Ukraine.

Poland's Prime Minister all but accused Russia of being behind the damage to the pipeline.

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"We faced an act of sabotage, we don't know all the details of what happened, but we see clearly that it's an act of sabotage, related to the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine," he said.

Deputy foreign minister Marcin Przydacz also went after Putin.

He said: "Sadly our eastern partner is constantly pursuing an aggressive political course.

"If it is capable of an aggressive military course in Ukraine, then it’s apparent that acts of provocations in western Europe also cannot be ruled out."

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Footage from a helicopter shows the sea bubbling above the Nord Stream pipelinesCredit: FORSVARET
Denmark's armed forces released the chilling video as they guard the sceneCredit: FORSVARET
A seismograph on the Danish island of Bornholm shows two spikes, at 0003 and 1700 GMT followed by a lower-level 'hissing'Credit: Reuters

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said they "cannot rule out sabotage".

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She said: "It is too early to conclude yet, but this is an extraordinary situation and there are three leaks, so it is hard to imagine that it could be a coincidence."

Gas prices were already high before the Ukraine war as demand soared after the lifting of Covid restrictions.

But prices skyrocketed after the invasion as Russia is one of the world's biggest producers.

Continental Europe is heavily reliant in Russian gas imports, leading to fears of winter blackouts, rationing and factory closures in Germany.

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Only a tiny fraction of Britain's gas comes directly from Russia.

But the UK relies more on gas for generating electricity than European neighbours because it has less nuclear and renewable energy.

Britain also has little storage capacity, forcing energy firms to buy gas on the highly volatile short-term spot market.

Even the abundant North Sea gas is sold to the UK based on international market prices.

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Domestic gas and electricity bills were due to soar to an average £3,549 from October 1

The eye-watering 80 per cent rise will hit 24million households.

But new Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to announce a wide-ranging energy plan next Friday to help Brits.

Energy bills have rocketed 35 times faster than wages, fuelling inflation and the cost of living crisis.

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Economists say most of the painful price increases are due to the war in Ukraine and Putin holding the West to ransom.

Russia has been accused of deliberately burning off natural gas at an astonishing scale - as much as £8.7million daily according to satellite pictures.

Russia is suspected to have sabotaged the pipeline
The maelstrom is raging in the Baltic Sea
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