Harm to the Balticconnector pipeline and broadcast communications link was affirmed on Tuesday after one of the two pipeline administrators, Finland's Gasgrid, noticed a drop in strain and conceivable hole on Sunday late evening during a tempest.
Helsinki, which is exploring, has said the harm was likely brought about by "outside movement". That has stirred up worry over provincial energy security and pushed gas costs higher.
"The significant thing currently is to lay out what occurred and how this could occur," Stoltenberg told columnists in Brussels in front of a gathering of the tactical partnership.
"On the off chance that it is shown to be a purposeful assault on Nato-basic foundation, then, at that point, this will be, obviously, serious, however it will likewise be met by a unified and decided reaction from Nato."
Finland's Public Department of Examination said "outside marks" had been found on the seabed next to the harmed pipeline and that it was auditing the developments of vessels nearby at the hour of the burst.
"We are currently zeroing in on the specialized examination of the line harm site and looking at the seabed at the scene," authority boss Robin Lardot told columnists on Wednesday.
Risto Lohi, the department's main specialist, told a news gathering that anchor harm had not been precluded, adding: " Right now it appears as though the harm was brought about by mechanical power, not a blast."
The pipeline runs between Inkoo in Finland and Paldiski in Estonia across the Bay of Finland, part of the Baltic Ocean which extends toward the east into Russian waters and finishes at the port of St Petersburg.
Talks Thursday
Nato guard clergymen will examine the harm on Thursday when they assemble for a second day of gatherings in Brussels, Finnish safeguard serve Antti Hakkanen told journalists late on Wednesday.
"We really do realize that the framework is powerless and should be better secured," Hakkanen said.
Balticconnector is together worked by Estonian power and gas framework administrator Elering and Finnish gas transmission framework administrator Gasgrid, which each own portion of the pipeline.
The administrators said in a proclamation that preparation and doing fixes to the pipeline would require no less than five months, with gas moves improbable to continue before April.
Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov depicted the episode as "upsetting" and told a normal news preparation that the September 2022 assault on the Nord Stream pipelines that cross the Baltic Ocean among Russia and Germany have started a risky trend.
Those bigger gas pipelines were harmed by blasts that specialists have said were brought about by damage.
Henri Vanhanen, research individual at the Finnish Establishment for Foreign relations, said the focal issue was the manner by which Nato would respond assuming that there was proof that a state entertainer was behind the new pipeline harm.
"I think the unavoidable issue in the long haul is ... do we have an unmistakable arrangement of possible countermeasures for such (damage) exercises? What is the discouragement?" he said.
President Sauli Niinisto and different authorities were informed on Wednesday and readiness levels raised at basic foundation offices, the Finnish government said. In the interim, Norway and Lithuania moved to fix security at coastal energy establishments.
Pipeline 'pulled from one side'
"It can plainly be seen that these harms are brought about by very weighty power," Estonian Guard Priest Hanno Pevkur told Reuters, with potential causes including "mechanical effect or mechanical obliteration."
The pipeline and telecoms link run in lined up at a "huge" distance from one another, as per the link administrator, Elisa.
The two were harmed "inside a similar time period" from the beginning Sunday, Finnish examiners said, with the pipeline break accepted to have been in Finnish waters while the link break was in Estonian waters.
The pipeline, encased in concrete for security, seems to be "somebody tore it as an afterthought", Estonian Naval force Officer Juri Saska told public telecaster Fail. " The substantial has broken, or stripped off, explicitly by then of injury."
The harm wouldn't affect Finland's power framework, lattice administrator Fingrid said. Gas represents 5% of Finland's energy needs.
The Balticconnector pipeline opened in December 2019 to assist with coordinating gas markets in the district, giving Finland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania greater adaptability of supply.