Finland, Russia's neighbour, says 'outside activity' damaged gas pipeline

The Finnish government said on Tuesday (Oct 10) that a subsea gas pipeline and a telecom cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea have been damaged. The government thinks that this has been a deliberate act and has blamed 'outside activity' for this. Finland is Russia's neighbour.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance was sharing what information it had on the damage and was ready to support the concerned allies.

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Finland joined NATO in April this year while Estonia has been a member of the alliance since 2004.

After concerns that gas was leaking, the Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut early on Sunday. It was feared that there was a hole in the 77-kilometre pipeline. Gasgridm the Finnish operator said repair may take months or even more.

"It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The cause of the damage is not yet clear, the investigation continues in cooperation between Finland and Estonia," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement on Tuesday.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo termed the damage "worrying" but also said that the energy supply to Finland remained stable and damage to telecommunication cable didn't affect the country's overall connectivity.

"It is too early to draw conclusions on who or what caused the damage," Orpo told a press conference.

He added that gas accounted for 5 per cent of Finland's energy supply.

AFP quoted a spokesperson for the Finnish defence forces who said that there wasn't any visible military threat against Finland.

The Finnish Bureau of Investigation has initiated an investigation into the external damage to the pipeline.

"We are still verifying if the damage is caused deliberately or accidentally," the bureau said. But it also added that the size of the damage indicated a deliberate action.

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In 2022, the larger Nord Stream gas pipelines which cross the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany were damaged by explosions that authorities have said were deliberate acts of sabotage.

(With inputs from agencies)

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