Sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipeline in Baltic may have unleashed ancient chemical weapons
Explosions that allegedly caused the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines may have released chemical weapons buried in the seabed, according to experts quoted in the Swedish daily "Dagens Nyheter".
After the end of World War II, the Allies sank munitions manufactured by Nazi Germany at several sites in the Baltic Sea, the newspaper notes. These include 30,000 tonnes of shells filled with mustard gas and other toxic substances that were dumped near the Danish island of Bornholm, in the area where pipeline leaks were detected in late September.
Waves from the explosion may have destroyed ammunition containers, while others have oxidised over time, releasing toxins to the seabed that have probably been displaced by the gas leaks, according to expert Jacek Beldowski. The professor at the Institute of Oceanography of the Polish Academy of Sciences explained that several samples have been taken from the area and will be analysed by the Military Research Institute in Warsaw for chemical agents.
The researchers stress that the release of the toxins would not pose a direct risk to humans but that if, instead of remaining in the bottom sediments, they move through the water, they can cause mutations and various disorders in marine organisms. The Swedish navy announced on Wednesday that it is examining the area of the incident independently of the criminal proceedings, while the public prosecutor's office announced on Friday that it was opening a supplementary investigation at the scene of the incident.
Neither of these institutions detailed what kind of evidence they are looking for, after preliminary Danish and Swedish investigations reinforced the hypothesis of an act of sabotage, but failed to shed light on the perpetrator. Danish Defence Minister Morten Bodskov warned in mid-month of the presence of abundant World War II ammunition on the seabed, which he said would slow down investigations.
In late September, four leaks were detected in the two decommissioned pipelines, two of them in the Danish and two in the Swedish exclusive economic zone. Moscow on Saturday accused Britain of being behind the sabotage of the pipelines, though without providing any evidence, while suspicions prevail in the West that they were damaged at Russia's initiative to destabilise Europe in the context of the energy crisis.
