Comment: It's actually both pipelines that are affected. And no, it's not a 'leak'. 'Someone' (*ahem* the USA) sabotaged both lines, causing gas to spew into the Baltic Sea.
The pipeline has been one of the flashpoints in an escalating energy war between Europe and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February that has pummelled western economies and sent gas prices soaring.
Comment: NordStream has been the Anglo-Americans' target for almost a decade. Now, they've finally done it in.
Nord Stream 2's operator said pressure in the undersea pipeline dropped from 105 to 7 bar overnight.
Comment: That statement from the German Economy Ministry is contradicted by this one given to German newspaper Tagesspiegel, which cites German govt sources as suspecting "sabotage" behind this "targeted attack" that caused a "violent disruption." They further reported that the sabotage was likely "carried out with special forces, e.g. navy divers, or a submarine." Their suspects are "Ukrainians, or forces linked to Ukraine."
Which is a polite way of saying they suspect that the Americans are behind this.
Ukraine does not have the capability to enter Danish waters undetected with a submersible in order blow up large pipelines on the sea floor. Influential "forces linked to Ukraine" DO have means and motive. And the German govt knows it. Now Europe really will freeze this winter.
This sabotage is causing environmental damage and potentially threatens the safety of ships in the Baltic Sea. If they see no problem with sabotaging a gas pipeline to 'win against Russia', what other damage might the Americans be prepared to do in Europe?
This chilling statement from the US 'president' in February this year - 3 weeks BEFORE Russian forces entered Ukraine - makes more sense now:
Just four days ago the Russian FSB says it "prevented an attempt by the Ukrainian special services to commit a sabotage and terrorist act at the facility of the oil and gas complex that supplies energy to Turkey and Europe."
The Ukrainian special services - like everything else Ukrainian these days - is nothing without the American (and British) special services. We can thus reasonably conclude that the Anglo-Americans are actively destroying the remaining energy links between Russia and Europe ahead of the winter.
Are they trying to kill tens of millions of people?
Update 15:00 CET
It's looking more and more like the perpetrators did in fact blow up the pipelines, and in multiple places. Footage of one of the leaks:
It's enormous:
Update 21:30 CET
Former Polish defense minister and now Washington think-tanker and MEP knows who carried out this act of eco-terrorism, and thanks them for it: