Nord Stream leaks leave Danish residents feeling vulnerable and unsettled
In the Baltic Sea, we’re heading to a crime scene.
The site of suspected sabotage.
We’re sailing towards the place where an alleged attack was carried out on Nord Stream; the biggest underwater gas pipelines running from Russia to Europe.
We left from the Danish island of Bornholm, the closest place to four leaks detected off the coasts of Denmark and Sweden this week.
Suddenly a familiar symbol appears on the boat’s onboard map.
“A skull and crossbones, what does that mean?” I ask our captain, Kim Finne.
“That is the leak,” he replies.
Ahead of us is an exclusion zone of around five miles.
Only the military and official investigators are allowed to get any closer to the leaking pipes as they try to protect the evidence and prove what happened and who is responsible.
Kim Finne
It doesn’t take long before we are warned off.
“You are heading towards a restricted area where navigation is prohibited,” the Danish Navy tells us over the radio.
The discovery of leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines has sparked an international crisis.
All the damage is in international waters.
A few kilometres closer to Bornholm and the reported explosions would have been in Danish waters which could have provoked a NATO response if proven to be deliberate acts.
It’s deeply unsettling for Kim who could smell the leaking gas from his home.
“Do you feel vulnerable living on Bornholm?” I ask him.
“Yes, because Bornholm used to be a really peaceful place and now we see warships, F16 [jets] and explosions so close to Denmark,” he replies.
Many in Europe believe the damage to Nord Stream was deliberate.
Ukraine has accused Russia of terrorism.
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin directly accused “Anglo-Saxon” powers of blowing up the pipelines.
“It was a deliberate act of sabotage, and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies. And we’re at work with our allies to get to the bottom of exactly what, precisely what happened,” countered President Joe Biden.
“Who do you think is responsible?” I ask Kim.
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Nord Stream ‘sabotage sends powerful message’
“I will not say I know who has done this but I would definitely say the Russian guy will try to hold Europe in a tighter hand now because they know it’s going to be winter.”
Bornholm’s proximity to the leaks means chemical experts are monitoring the air to check it hasn’t been poisoned.
So far, no dangerous levels have been detected.
But the ruptures in the Nord Stream system have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Campaigners say what’s happened in the Baltic Sea is both a political crisis and an environmental disaster:
“Methane being such a potent and aggressive gas, this is something that really will be felt.
Read more:
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What we know about the Nord Stream leaks and who was behind them
“Over a 20-year period this is something that is equivalent to the Danish emissions of C02 or what maybe 30 million cars in Europe would emit in one year,” explains Mads Flarup Christensen from Greenpeace Nordic.
“It will contribute to the climate crisis that we are in the middle of and that is of course very, very serious.”
The full implications of what has happened off Bornholm’s coast are still playing out.
Further investigation should be possible once gas stops flowing from the pipelines.
But experts warn that even if evidence can be gathered to prove what caused the leaks and if they are the result of a deliberate attack, it’s highly unlikely we will ever definitively know who ordered it.
On Saturday, the Danish energy agency said the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea appears to have stopped leaking.
World
Arrest warrants issued for Israeli PM Netanyahu and former defence secretary Gallant and senior Hamas commander over alleged war crimes
Arrest warrants have been issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence secretary Yoav Gallant and a senior Hamas commander by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The warrants against the senior Israeli figures are for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza that Israel launched following the 7 October attacks by Hamas.
The prime minister’s office said the warrants against him and Gallant were “anti-semitic” and said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”.
Another warrant was issued for the arrest of Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Al Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, was the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks. It is unclear if he is still alive, following an airstrike that Israel claimed killed him earlier this year.
Neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden described the warrants against Israeli leaders as “outrageous”, adding “whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas”.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were a “mark of shame” for the ICC.
The court originally said it was seeking arrest warrants for the three men in May for the alleged crimes and today announced that it had rejected challenges by Israel and issued warrants of arrest.
The new UK Labour government said in the summer it would not oppose the ICC’s right to issue the warrants.
Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN general assembly. Pic: Reuters
Warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant
In its update, the ICC said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged crimes.
These, the court said, include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
Netanyahu previously spoke of his “disgust” at the suggestion the ICC would seek an arrest warrant for him.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the ICC’s decision sent a “terrible message”.
“The court has minimised how Hamas fights – deliberately from within civilian infrastructure and cruelly using Palestinian civilians as human shields, tragically leading to many casualties,” the board said.
“Democratic governments, and people around the world, should consider how they would have responded to an October 7th perpetrated against their country, involving mass murder, rape, and hostage-taking.
“We should all be focused on defeating the Hamas terrorists, liberating the hostages, ensuring that civilians in Gaza receive all necessary aid and working towards a sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians to prevent these horrible conflicts in the future.
“The decision of the ICC is counter-productive in all these respects.”
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A video released by Hamas in 2005 shows a man identified as Mohammed Deif. Pic: AP
Warrant for Hamas leader
The ICC also said it has issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Al Masri, saying it has “reasonable grounds to believe” that he is responsible for crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, torture, rape, as well as war crimes including taking hostages.
Discussing the 7 October attacks, the court said: “In light of the coordinated killings of members of civilians at several separate locations, the Chamber also found that the conduct took place as part of a mass killing of members of the civilian population, and it therefore concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the crime against humanity of extermination was committed.”
In its statement, the ICC said the prosecution was not in a position to determine whether Al Masri is dead or alive, so was issuing the arrest warrant.
The court previously said it was seeking an arrest warrant for Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas who was subsequently killed in July.
The home secretary has refused to say if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he landed on British soil after an international arrest warrant was issued for him.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence secretary Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza.
But Yvette Cooper said the ICC, which the UK is a member of, is independent and while the government respects that, it “wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment” on the processes involved.
She told Sky News: “We’ve always respected the importance of international law, but in the majority of the cases that they pursue, they don’t become part of the British legal process.
“What I can say is that obviously, the UK government’s position remains that we believe the focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza.”
However, Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee in parliament, told Sky News: “If Netanyahu comes to Britain, our obligation under the Rome Convention would be to arrest him under the warrant from the ICC.
“Not really a question of should, we are required to because we are members of the ICC.”
The government said after winning July’s election it would not oppose the ICC’s right to issue the warrants.
An ICC arrest warrant was also issued for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri, the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks in Israel, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel claims Al Masri was killed earlier this year but the ICC said that has not been confirmed, so it was issuing the arrest warrant.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant (right) have arrest warrants against them. File pic: Reuters
Netanyahu’s office said the warrants against him and Gallant were “anti-semitic” and said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”.
Neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden described the warrants against Israeli leaders as “outrageous”, adding: “Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas.”
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were a “mark of shame” for the ICC.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the ICC’s decision sent a “terrible message”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Netanyahu to visit Hungary and he would guarantee the arrest warrant would “not be observed”.
However, both France and Italy signalled they would arrest Netanyahu if he came to their countries.
Read more:
What satellite images tell us about North Gaza
Hamas ready for Gaza ceasefire ‘immediately’
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Why have arrest warrants been issued?
The ICC originally said it was seeking arrest warrants for the three men in May for the alleged crimes and on Thursday announced that it had rejected challenges by Israel and issued warrants of arrest.
In its update, the ICC said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged crimes.
These, the court said, include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
It is the first time a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.
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