Irish Examiner view: Europe’s supervillain is hard at work

Calm heads are needed in the wake of the disruptions to the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines 

Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines were due to 'an act of sabotage'.  Picture: Olivier Matthys/AP

News that the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea were leaking was a worrying development in and of itself, before further details about the situation began to emerge over the last 48 hours.

The pipelines, which carry gas from Russia to Europe, haven’t just sprung a sudden leak — seismologists in Sweden have stated that there is no doubt there were explosions in the area where the pipelines are located, according to their instrument readings.