External activity probably behind Finland-Estonia pipe leak

(ANSA-AFP) - HELSINKI, OCT 10 - Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Tuesday a leak leading to the shutdown of a natural gas pipeline from Estonia to Finland this weekend was probably caused by an "external" element. "It is likely that the damage to both the gas pipeline and the telecommunications cable is the result of external activity," Niinisto said. He did not elaborate. The head of state said the cause of the damage was not yet clear and both countries were cooperating in an ongoing investigation. Niinisto said he had been in touch with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg and NATO was ready to assist in the investigation. "NATO is sharing information and stands ready to support Allies concerned," Stoltenberg said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Finland's gas network operator, state-owned Gasgrid, said on Sunday that the Balticconnector pipeline had been shut down over a suspected leak. The operator said "an unusual drop in pressure" had been noticed in the pipeline running along the seabed of the Gulf of Finland.
    (ANSA-AFP).