Finland and Estonia have announced the temporary suspension of the undersea Baltic connector gas pipeline, which spans the Baltic Sea and connects the two countries. The decision was made in response to a suspected leak.

Gasgrid Finland and Elering, the gas system operators in Finland and Estonia, detected an unusual drop in pipeline pressure shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday, prompting them to halt gas flow. Gasgrid Finland released a statement saying, "Based on observations, it was suspected that the offshore pipeline between Finland and Estonia was leaking. The valves in the offshore pipeline are now closed, and the leak has been stopped."

While the Finnish operator did not provide a specific reason for the suspected leak, it stated that they were collaborating with Elering to investigate the incident. Depending on the extent of damage caused by the leak, repair work could potentially take "at least several months," as reported by the Associated Press (AP).