Sweden ends investigation into Nord Stream explosion

Sweden has ended its investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage that occurred in September 2022, an official said Wednesday.

Investigations have been ongoing since then but have yet to produce a definitive conclusion regarding the source of the explosions.

In the aftermath of the explosions, several Western officials referred to the pipe leaks as “deliberate acts of sabotage” but could not unequivocally verify that the damage was linked to Russian involvement.

In September 2022, underwater explosions targeted the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which delivered Russian natural gas to Germany and the European region through the Baltic Sea.

Moscow accuses the West, particularly the US, of being directly involved in the blasts.

Denmark confirmed in April 2023 that a Russian SS-750 vessel was photographed close to the location of the sabotaged Nord Steam pipelines.

Sweden’s Prosecution Authority said the primary purpose of their investigation was to determine “whether Swedish citizens were involved in the act and whether Swedish territory was used to carry out the act, and thereby risked damaging Swedish interests or Sweden’s security.”

After finding that there was no connection to Sweden or Swedish citizens, and that the explosions occurred in international waters, the prosecutors ruled there was no reason to continue the investigation.

While Sweden’s case is now closed, German and Danish investigations are still ongoing.

Some German investigators have linked the explosions to Ukraine, accusing a crew of Ukrainians of carrying out the sabotage, but did not say whether it was officially authorized by Kyiv. Ukraine has denied any involvement.