Denmark announced on Monday that it has ended its investigation into the explosions that occurred in 2022 on the Nord Stream pipelines, which carry Russian gas to Germany. This decision makes Denmark the second country to close its inquiry, following Sweden’s earlier closure of its own investigation.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transport gas under the Baltic Sea, suffered ruptures due to a series of blasts in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in September 2022. These explosions led to the release of large amounts of methane into the atmosphere.
A statement from the Copenhagen police stated, “The investigation has determined that the gas pipelines were intentionally sabotaged. However, it has been assessed that there are not enough grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark.”
Amidst tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both Russia and Western countries have accused each other of being responsible for the pipeline blasts. However, both parties have denied involvement, and no one has claimed responsibility.
Earlier this month, Sweden closed its investigation into the explosions, citing a lack of jurisdiction in the case. The Swedish authorities have shared the evidence they uncovered with German investigators, who have yet to release any findings.
Danish police revealed that they had collaborated with relevant international partners during the investigation, which they described as “complex and comprehensive.”
When asked by Reuters for further details on why the investigation was discontinued and which authorities they had shared their findings with, a police spokesperson declined to comment.
Previous statements from Danish police indicated that the pipelines were targeted by powerful explosions, and Swedish investigators confirmed the presence of explosive traces at the site, verifying that sabotage had taken place.
In a report to the U.N. Security Council last year, Germany disclosed the discovery of subsea explosives on a sailing yacht that may have been used to transport the explosives. It was also suggested that trained divers could have attached the explosives to the pipelines.
Russia has blamed the United States, Britain, and Ukraine for the blasts, which significantly disrupted the flow of Russian gas to the European market. However, these countries have all denied any involvement in the attacks.
While some Western officials have pointed to the presence of Russian naval vessels in the vicinity during the blasts, others have stated that there is no concrete evidence implicating Moscow. Russia has dismissed accusations suggesting its involvement in the attacks as “absurd.”
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Louise Breusch-Rasmussen; editing by Terje Solsvik and Mark Heinrich)
