Tiny Baltic island finds itself 'a pawn' in Nord Stream gas drama

An early 19th-century tower stands over the harbour of Christianso, a small archipelago with just 98 inhabitants under the administration of the Danish defense ministry in the Baltic Sea near the Nord Stream pipeline blast sites, in Denmark, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Little

CHRISTIANSÖ in the Baltic Sea, Denmark (Reuters) - Inhabitants of the tiny island of Christiansö in the Baltic Sea found themselves in the glare of global media attention this week after reports alleging a boat moored off the rocky outcrop was used to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

"Practically the entire world called me yesterday. I got calls from 87 different people," island caretaker Soren Thiim Andersen, the highest authority on the island that is Denmark's easternmost point, told Reuters.