A Russia-EU gas line returned to use last weekend after a mysterious explosion Tuesday

A Russia-EU gas line returned to use last weekend after a mysterious explosion Tuesday in a field in Chabany, five kilometers west of Kyiv city. Ukraine’s Gas Transmission Operator said 38 meters of pipe were replaced and welds on the high-pressure line were checked for defects. Police are investigating to see if the 30-year-old pipe self-destructed due to old age, or if the midnight explosion was due to sabotage. Covered extensively in the German media, the explosion took place as German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under heavy pressure to freeze work on the Nord Stream 2 Russia-Germany trans-Baltic gas line.