Sweden ends its investigation into the explosions that disabled the Nord Stream gas pipelines

Sweden announced this Wednesday the closure of its investigation into the explosions recorded in September 2022 in the Nord Stream gas pipelines, built to transport Russian natural gas to Germany, because it is not within its jurisdiction.

The Swedish investigation was one of three open incidents. Denmark and Germany are also investigating what happened.

The attack, which came as Europe tried to distance itself from Russian energy sources following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, contributed to tensions after the start of the war. The origins of the sabotage have been a mystery internationally.

Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement that “the investigation has been systematic and detailed.”

“In the background of the situation we have now, we can confirm that Swedish jurisdiction does not apply,” he said.

Ljungqvist recalled that The main objective of the investigation was to find out whether Swedish citizens were involved and whether Swedish territory was used to carry out acts that threatened the security of this Nordic country.

The prosecutor’s office highlighted, “Nothing has emerged to suggest that Sweden or Swedish citizens were involved in the attack that took place in international waters.”

According to Ljungqvist, “The German investigation is ongoing and due to the confidentiality prevailing in international legal cooperation, I cannot comment further on the cooperation undertaken.”

“Nor will I be able to comment further on the findings of the Swedish investigation or any suspects in it,” indicated the prosecutor, who highlighted “good cooperation” with Denmark and Germany, “constantly sharing information and situation reports.”

On September 26, 2022, an explosion was recorded in three of the four lines of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines while passing through the waters of the Baltic Sea, one near a Danish island and one off the coast of Sweden.

Overall, they were located Two leaks in each gas pipeline, two in Danish territory and two in Swedish territory.All in international waters, which the affected governments soon described as “sabotage” in addition to targeting a state actor.

Russia has insisted throughout this time that it was sabotage by some of the Scandinavian countries, although the international community closed ranks from the first moment and accused the Kremlin of carrying out a false flag attack.

Both refer to the affected countries and the rest of the European Union (EU), the United States, and Russia. vandalismHowever they differ regarding possible authorship.

Moscow has accused “Anglo-Saxon” countries of being behind it, pointing to opposition to the project that Washington has maintained for years, while some Western countries have pointed in the opposite direction.

The investigation by American journalist Seymour Hersh pointed to American intelligence in collaboration with Norway and other Western countries.

Media in the United States and Germany later pointed to a pro-Ukraine group as the author of the sabotage.

(With information from AP, EFE and EP)