The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office has decided to archive its investigation into the leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines – built to carry Russian natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea –, which were caused by explosions in September 2022, six months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Two of the leaks occurred in Nord Stream 1, in international waters but in the Swedish exclusive economic zone. “The conclusion of the investigation is that it does not fall under the jurisdiction of Swedish jurisdiction and must therefore be closed,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a press release in Stockholm on Wednesday.
There are two other investigations underway: one in Denmark – since the other two leaks were recorded in international waters but in the Danish exclusive economic zone, in this case from Nord Stream 2 – and another in Germany. Neither gas pipeline was in service when the explosions occurred. Ljungqvist specified that the evidence gathered during the Swedish investigation has been transmitted to the German Prosecutor’s Office. Danish police also said Wednesday that they will report on their investigation “shortly.”
The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office, which at the time had confirmed that the explosions were an act of “serious sabotage” presumably carried out by a state actor, recalled yesterday that the objective of the investigation was to find out if there was any Swedish connection. “Nothing has appeared to indicate that Sweden or Swedish citizens were involved,” emphasizes the Prosecutor’s Office, which is why it declares that the matter is not within its jurisdiction.
The Kremlin reacted by turning its gaze to Germany. “Now we have to see how Germany reacts to this, as a country that has lost a lot in relation to this terrorist attack; “It will be interesting to see how thorough the German authorities will be in their investigation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Reuters reports from Moscow.
If neither of the other two investigations find conclusive evidence, the mystery of one of the largest infrastructure sabotages in modern history could remain unsolved. Both the affected countries such as the EU, the United States and Russia speak of sabotage, but they disagree as to who is responsible. Moscow accused “Anglo-Saxon countries” arguing that for years the United States opposed Nord Stream due to economic interests. Western countries point the finger precisely at Moscow.
In February 2023, an article by American journalist Seymour Hersh that pointed to United States intelligence, with the collaboration of Norway and other Western countries, caused a stir. In March 2023, American and German media pointed to a pro-Ukrainian group as the author of the sabotage.
