Thursday 29 September 2022 04:47 PM Putin accuses the West of being ready to provoke 'revolutions' and 'a ... trends now

A fourth leak has been uncovered in the Nord Stream gas pipes which are thought to have been blown up in an act of Russian sabotage earlier this week.  

The newest leak has been located in the Nord Stream 2 pipe, close to a larger hole discovered in Nord Stream 1 a few days ago. It means there are now two holes in each pipe, two of which are located in Swedish waters and two in Danish waters, Sweden's coastguard said today. 

Emergency crews are continuing to inspect the gas lines ahead of a mission below the waves to try and stop them leaking thousands of tons of gas into the Baltic Sea and work out what exactly happened - though that is unlikely to happen before next week. Finding answers will take longer still.

Heavy early suspicion has fallen on Russia, bolstered today by sightings of Kremlin ships and submarines in and around the area of the blasts over the last week, CNN reports. European security officials said it is as-yet unclear whether any of those craft were involved, but say the possibility is being investigated. 

There is little doubt among European diplomats or NATO allies that Russia is responsible, according to reports, but without hard evidence none except Ukraine has ventured to say so out loud. In the absence of facts, conspiracy theories have proliferated. 

Taken at face value, it seems unlikely that Russia would attack its own multi-billion dollar pipes - but those familiar with Moscow's 'hybrid' style of warfare say it is likely Kremlin mind game to sow uncertainty and a warning to back off Ukraine.  'It's all part of the Russian style of political warfare,' Bryan Clark, a former US navy strategic planner now at the Hudson Institute think tank, said. 'It's about sowing doubt, creating just enough fog of uncertainty.'

European leaders are now rushing to shore up defences around their own undersea pipes and data cables, amid fears they are also vulnerable to attack. A renewed energy crisis, recession, or financial crash could all result if those crucial networks were disrupted, experts and analysts warned.