October 13, 2022: -On Wednesday, Polish pipeline operator PERN said that a leak detected on one of its Druzhba pipelines carrying oil from Russia to Europe was probably caused by an accident.

On Tuesday, the leak was detected on one of the two lines of the Western section of the pipeline, PERN said in a report. The incident occurred roughly 70 kilometers from the central Polish city of Plock.

PERN said pumping on the damaged line, which delivers oil to Germany, was immediately switched off, and the scene had been secured. Pumping through the other line continued as standard, the company stated.

The cause of the incident is not known, but the Polish government said the damage caused was probably accidental.

Mateusz Berger, Poland’s leading official in energy infrastructure, told Reuters via telephone that there were no foundations to believe the leak was caused by sabotage. “Here, we can talk about accidental damage,” Berger said.

The Druzhba pipeline, which summarizes as “friendship” in Russia, is one of the world’s most extensive oil pipeline networks, delivering crude from Russia to much of central and eastern Europe, which includes Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, Belarus, Poland, and Slovakia.

More than weeks after, a series of explosions on two subsea gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany began what might be the single most significant release of methane in history.

An initial crime scene investigation led by Sweden’s national security service said the gas leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines reinforced suspicions of “gross sabotage.”

Many in Europe suspect the Nord Stream gas leaks resulted from a deliberate attack, mainly as the blasts came amid a bitter energy standoff between the European Union and Russia.

The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed claims it destroyed the pipelines, calling such allegations “stupid” and “absurd” and claiming that it is the U.S. that had the most to gain from the gas leaks.

The White House has denied any involvement in the suspected attack.