Denmark warned that the Russian gas pipeline is leaking into the Baltic Sea

Denmark has warned that the controversial gas pipeline from Russia, Nord Stream 2, has begun leaking into the Baltic Sea, endangering naval traffic.

Denmark set up a prohibited zone within five nautical miles i.e., 9 km of the pipeline near the island of Bornholm. On Monday the country was informed about a pressure drop in the now-defunct undersea pipeline. The energy minister of Denmark said that the country acted as soon as possible, after being informed.

Nord Stream 2 AG, the operating company said that the drop happened overnight. In a statement, it added that it is investigating the matter. The major shareholder of Nord Stream 2 AG is Russia's state-owned giant, Gazprom. According to the Danish energy minister, outside the prohibitive zone, there is no security risk related to the leak. Denmark did not expect any consequences for the security of the Danish gas supply due to this incident.

The gas pipeline had been built to deliver gas to Germany and other European nations from Russia. But, this multi-billion euro project was halted in February, after Russia invaded Ukraine. However, already gas had been pumped into the pipe, and now there are concerns that large amounts of it could be released into the atmosphere.