"Very concerning information about damage to undersea gas and data infrastructure between Estonia & Finland. Finnish authorities in cooperation with Estonian colleagues continue investigation to find out the circumstances related to the damage," the president wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Very concerning information about damage to undersea gas and data infrastructure between #Estonia & #Finland.
Finnish authorities in cooperation with Estonian colleagues continue investigation to find out the circumstances related to the damage.

— Alar Karis (@AlarKaris) October 10, 2023

Finnish media on Tuesday reported sources as saying the government and the Finnish Defense Forces suspect Russia attacked the Balticconnector gas pipeline, between Finland and Estonia, after a leak was detected on Sunday.

After a press conference on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) confirmed the damage and said an investigation is ongoing. She said there is "close cooperation" between Estonia and Finland.

The prime minister also said she had discussed the situation with EU chiefs.

I just spoke to @vonderleyen and @CharlesMichel.

I explained the situation regarding BalticConnector gas pipeline and an undersea communication cable between Estonia and Finland.

We will discuss with partners and Allies additional security measures for the Baltic Sea if needed.

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) October 10, 2023

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsanhka (Eesti 200) said he had spoken to his Finnish counterpart about the situation.

He said Estonia and Finland are working in "close cooperation to investigate the matter".

Spoke with my Finnish colleague @elinavaltonen today to discuss the concerning situation regarding the damage to undersea infrastructure between #Estonia & #Finland.

& work in close cooperation to investigate the matter.@Ulkoministerio pic.twitter.com/T6NWzhXq0t

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) October 10, 2023

Shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday (October 8) a sudden loss of pressure was detected by Gasgrid Finland and Estonian gas network operator Elering, who manage the pipeline. The two countries' transmission system operators shut off the gas in the pipeline

On Monday (October 9), Gasgrid Finland said the only possible reason for the unusual pressure drop was a hole in the pipe. Investigations are underway.

The undersea portion of Balticconnector runs for 77 kilometers between Paldiski in Estonia and Inkoo in Finland. The pipeline was launched in early 2020 and construction cost nearly €300 million.

Read a summary of the events so far here.

This article was updated to add quotes from Kaja Kallas.

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