Events unfolding in the Middle East weren’t the only source of geopolitical intrigue on the world stage this weekend, after a major undersea natural gas pipeline and telecom cable linking Finland and Estonia were reportedly sabotaged due to what the Finnish government called “external activity.”.Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday said he has been in contact with NATO officials regarding the alleged sabotage. Although he was reluctant to assign an exact cause, Finnish media reported unnamed security officials blamed Russia for a sudden drop in pressure that occurred in the Finnish exclusive economic zone on Sunday..Repairs are expected to take months. The 77-kilometre Balticonnector pipeline entered service in 2020.. Balticonnector pipelineBalticonnector pipeline Route (in orange). .Although European gas storage levels are at record levels, there are still concerns of supply shortages in the event of a cold winter. That in turn caused European natural gas prices to spike almost 13% on energy security fears..Those were exacerbated by the shutdown of the Israeli Tamar offshore gas field near Gaza, which also supplies gas to Europe..If sabotage is indeed the cause for the Finnish failure, it would be the fourth Baltic pipeline to be sabotaged in less than a year..In September of 2022, underwater blasts ruptured three of four pipes that make up Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 systems from Denmark and Sweden to Germany. Those incidents are still being investigated..In fact, the Balticonnector bisects the Nordstream route at almost perfect right angles..It comes after Finland formally joined the NATO alliance in April of this year. Estonia has been a member since 2004..Both stopped importing Russian oil and gas as part of international sanctions againts the Putin regime for its invasion of Ukraine in 2021..The development is significant because the Balticonnector link is Finland’s only source of of LNG after Russia cut exports in 2022 after it refused to pay supply contracts in roubles..Natural gas supplies about 5% of Finland’s energy needs and is mostly used for heat and power. The Finnish gas grid operator said it was able to divert supplies via a floating offshore LNG terminal from Latvia..If Russia is indeed responsible, it wasn’t immediately clear if any of those incidents would constitute an attack under Article 5 of the NATO charter.
