Denmark ends probe into 'deliberate' Nord Stream pipeline blasts

Reuters. Denmark has dropped its investigation into the explosions in 2022 on the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, police said on Monday (February 26), becoming the second nation to do so after Sweden closed its own inquiry.

 

The multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish and Danish economic zones in September 2022, releasing vast amounts of methane into the air.

 

The blasts occurred seven months after Russia started war in Ukraine, which triggered a wide range of Western economic and financial sanctions against Moscow.

 

"The investigation has led the authorities to conclude that there was deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines. However, the assessment is that there are not sufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark," a Copenhagen police statement said.

 

Sweden earlier this month dropped its investigation into the explosions, saying it lacked jurisdiction in the case, but had handed uncovered evidence over to German investigators, who have yet to publish any findings.

 

A German government spokesperson said earlier this month that Berlin was still interested in solving the case.