Construction of the controversial Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea is being officially launched.Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said on Wednesday that the first pipe had been laid under the sea.Gazprom holds 51 per cent of Nord Stream which will run from the Russian port of Vyborg to Germany's Greifswald. The project was given the go-ahead only in February amid fears that the pipeline could damage the Baltic Sea. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and high-profile officials from other participating countries and the European Union are expected to attend the official launching ceremony near Vyborg.The pipeline will be passing through Russian, Finnish, Swedish and German waters.