Denmark ends investigation into Nord Stream pipeline explosions

Denmark announced today that it had decided to end its investigation into the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines, through which Russia sent and planned to send gas to Germany and the rest of Europe. Denmark is the second country after Sweden to end its investigation into the possible 2022 sabotage of the pipelines, Reuters reported.

„Based on the investigation, the Danish authorities concluded that the (damage to the) pipelines was deliberate. At the same time, they found insufficient grounds to initiate criminal proceedings in Denmark,“ Danish police said in a statement.

Sweden, Denmark and Germany launched separate investigations into the explosions, which occurred in Danish and Swedish waters. The Swedish prosecutor’s office said in early February that it had no jurisdiction to deal with the matter. However, it handed the evidence it had gathered to German investigators, who are continuing to work on the case.

Today, as in the case of Sweden, Russia complained that it had repeatedly asked the Danish authorities for information about the case but had been refused. The Kremlin called Denmark’s decision to end the investigation „absurd“.

„Denmark has acknowledged that the explosions were pre-planned sabotage, but has nevertheless decided not to continue the investigation because the case involved Copenhagen’s close allies,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia previously called the incident a terrorist attack and suggested that Western countries were behind it. Western politicians rejected the allegations, while some accused Moscow of attacking the pipelines. Last year, media reports said that a pro-Ukrainian group had been involved in the sabotage. Kyiv has repeatedly denied any connection to the attack.