Europe vows ‘robust and united’ response to suspected sabotage of two Russian gas pipelines - CNBC

The European Union on Wednesday raced to find out exactly what happened and why after mystery gas leaks hit two underwater Russian gas pipelines, warning of retaliatory measures for any deliberate attack on the region's energy infrastructure.

In a statement on behalf of all 27 members, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday that the bloc was "deeply concerned" about the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea.

Nord Stream AG, the operator of the two pipelines, said Tuesday that three known gas leaks caused "unprecedented" damage.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that claims Russia was behind the suspected attack were "stupid," Reuters reported.

Neither pipeline was pumping gas at the time of the leaks but both lines were still pressurized: Nord Stream 1 stopped pumping gas to Europe "indefinitely" earlier this month, with Moscow's operator saying international sanctions on Russia prevented it from carrying out vital maintenance work.

Analysts at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group said that given the pipelines have the capacity to pump around 165 million cubic meters of methane-heavy gas per day, leaks of this scale are a "severe safety and environmental hazard, especially should Russia not stop pumping gas into the system.".