DISINFO: Finns may have staged the Balticconnector incident to keep the gas for themselves
SUMMARY
Last weekend, Finland announced a leak in the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline connecting Finland with Estonia. The investigation has just begun, but politicians and the press of Finland and the Baltic countries have already found a “Russian trail” and are exploiting their “discovery” with all their might.
If anyone benefits from the breakdown of this gas pipeline, it is Finland. It is from there that gas is pumped to the Baltic countries, and it is beneficial for the Finns to hold back this gas ahead of the heating season.
In any case, it is easier to blame Russia than to get to the truth. In Tallinn, it is not ruled out that the Finns staged the accident in order to stop the pumping and keep the raw materials for themselves.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation claim.
On 8 October 2023, Finland and Estonia announced that the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline running between the two countries across the Baltic Sea was temporarily taken out of service due to a suspected leak. A data cable linking Estonia to Finland was also damaged along with the pipeline.
In later statements, Finland stated that the damage to the underwater natural gas pipeline with Estonia on Sunday may have been deliberate and was probably caused by 'external activity.'
Gasgrid Finland is investigating the incident together with the Estonian operator Elering supported by the authorities in both countries. The pipeline is bi-directional, transferring natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on demand and supply.
Gasgrid Finland has assured that the Finnish gas system is stable and the supply of gas has been secured through the Inkoo floating LNG terminal.
Elering also clarified that the accident did not affect the gas supply to Estonian consumers. After the shutdown of Balticconnector, gas for Estonian consumers was coming from Latvia, it said.
Finland is a target of pro-Kremlin disinformation amid the backdrop of their NATO membership. "Let us remind you that in the spring of 2023 Finland officially joined NATO. On the other side of Scandinavian “democracy” there is now no Russian forest, no Russian gas, no Russian cars, no Russian tourists... Big business is starting to fall apart. Finland is in a hole from which there is no way out", - reported a pro-Kremlin media on 1st October.
See more pro-Kremlin disinformation on energy security.
This disinformation claim was broadcast on the date mentioned above. Due to the EU decisions to temporarily restrict the spread and dissemination of RT, Sputnik and other instruments used to manipulate information and promote disinformation about the invasion of Ukraine inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.