All summer, we asked if Europe was ready for winter. Now, is Europe ready for hybrid warfare? Swedish authorities are reporting a fourth leak on the Nord Stream pipelines that connect Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The EU calls Monday's explosions sabotage, with Poland and Ukraine blaming Russia. Moscow asks: why would we do billions in damage to our own pipelines? Four days on, we are still asking whodunnit and why.
Coincidence of the calendar: this was the week the new Baltic Pipe link between Norway and Poland via Denmark was inaugurated. How vulnerable is Europe's energy infrastructure to attack?
When EU ministers hold an emergency Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on Friday in Brussels, they will be working on ways to keep the power on this winter and stay one step ahead of Vladimir Putin. Beyond sanctions and talk of price caps, does that bubble of methane gas in the Baltic Sea signal the end of Europeans investing in Russia? With what consequences?
