"This could be a move to introduce chaos and uncertainty at the time when European gas markets have quieted just a bit after storage filled to higher-than-expected levels ahead of winter," she said. The gas pipelines are owned by a company called Nord Stream AG, the majority of which is in the hands of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. Russia has claimed it is unable to repair the pipelines due to anti-war sanctions, although Germany has said existing sanctions do not affect whether the pipeline repair operations. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines also underwent dramatic falls in pressure coinciding with the leaks, the German geological research center GFZ said, perhaps indicating malfeasance at the Russian end. This also coincided with Poland rolling out its Baltic Pipe gas pipeline this week that reduces Poland's dependence on Russian gas. "Breakage of gas pipelines is extremely rare," Danish authorities said in a statement.