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Underwater images and video released on Tuesday (October 18) showed the extent of damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. At least 50 metres of the pipeline have been destroyed. The cause of damage was probably an explosion believed to be from sabotage.
News outlet Expressen reported that a massive tear and twisted metal can be seen on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline 80 metres down. The videos that were apparently filmed on Monday and show that a chunk from the pipeline is missing. It could be buried under the seabed.
Trond Larsen, a drone operator with the Norwegian company Blueye Robotics, told Expressen: “It is only an extreme force that can bend metal that thick in the way we are seeing.”
Larsen piloted the submersible drone which captured the video. He noted that “a very large impact on the seabed around the pipe” can also be seen.
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The leaks in Nord Stream gas pipelines, which link Russia to Europe, have been blamed on sabotage. Many experts with knowledge of the matter have also claimed that various armed forces in the region are capable of such an operation.
The leaks became a flashpoint in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The leaks caused gas from the two Russian-owned gas pipelines to pour into the sea.
Previously, Germany, Denmark and Sweden openly said that they were attacks. Even Russia has also said sabotage was a possibility and launched an “international terrorism” probe by the FSB security service.
‘Powerful explosions’ behind Nord Stream leaks
Copenhagen Police said on Tuesday that the initial probe of the pipeline damage shows the leaks were caused by “powerful explosions”.
Danish police could not say when the investigation is expected to be concluded. “It is still too early to say anything about the framework under which the international cooperation with e.g. Sweden and Germany will run, as it depends on several factors,” Copenhagen Police said in a statement.
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