In a special version of a program normally covering the war in Ukraine, two Danish naval experts talk about the leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. The leaks occured within the Danish and Swedish exclusive economic zones east of the Danish island Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The closest leak is 2 km from Danish territorial waters, and 24 km from Bornholm. At the same time, drones have been observed near both Danish and Norwegian oil rigs in the North Sea. The Danish prime ministre, Mette Frederiksen, has said the leaks are caused by sabotage, but has not accused anyone specifically. All Danish military experts, I have heard, point towards Russia as the only logical perpetrator, while other theories have circulated in the public debate, such as the USA doing it. The pipelines are owned by Russians, but the leaks greatly affect Denmark due to environmental and safety concerns for nearby shipping. Furthermore, many experts agree that Denmark would be very vulnerable to further attacks on more critical infrastructure.

Kenneth Øhlenschlæger Buhl (left, in naval uniform) is a Commander in the Royal Danish Navy, who formerly served on submarines, as can be seen from the emblem with dolphins on his uniform. Buhl is also a researcher at the Royal Danish Defence College, specialising in maritime security, maritime law, and international law.

Anders Puck Nielsen (right, in combat uniform) is a Commander in the Royal Danish Navy, a language officer in Russian, and a researcher at the Royal Danish Defence College, specialising in maritime operations, Russia, and Ukraine. Nielsen has generally been used heavily in the media to cover the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

I've been very busy with adding subtitles since it was published, so there might be some typos, and I have decided to simplify some sentences and correct small speech errors, to make the conversation more understandable.

Published by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation on 29th September 2022