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MOSCOW. – Leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines carrying gas from Russia, reportedly the result of sabotage, have been used to fuel conspiracy theories and a new round of the West’s information war against Russia, with observers predicting that the Kremlin will change into a defence posture after referendums in four Ukrainian regions brought the conflict beyond the battlefield and into an “unrestricted  war.”

The Swedish coast guard said they had found a fourth leak on Nord Stream 2, BBC reported yesterday, after Denmark and Sweden first reported gas leaks on Monday, alerting authorities to the possibility of a deliberate attack.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said yesterday that Washington had “full control” over the waters around Denmark and Sweden where the four leaks have been detected on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which cross the floor of the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

Zakharova said on Wednesday that US President Joe Biden is “obliged” to answer if Washington is behind the three reported gas leaks on the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Europe.

She also posted a video, which recently went viral, of Biden promising in February that if Russia begins its military operations in Ukraine, “then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”

CNN published an article yesterday saying that European security officials on Monday and Tuesday observed Russian Navy support ships in the vicinity of the leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines.

However, the article admitted that Russian ships routinely operate in the area and their presence doesn’t necessarily indicate that Russia caused the damage.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed the leaks are “nothing more than a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression toward the EU.”

A Beijing-based international relations observer on Thursday told the Global Times on condition of anonymity that the Russia-West information war has entered another round of furious attacks, with recent gas leaks and the referendums of four Ukrainian regions at its centre. – GlobalTimes