Denmark stated on Monday that it had dropped its investigation into the 2022 explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline carrying Russian gas to Germany, becoming the second nation to close the investigation after Sweden, Reuters informed.
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.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that transport gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of explosions in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in September 2022, releasing huge amounts of methane into the air.
Russia and the West blame each other for the pipeline explosions, denying their own involvement, with no one claiming responsibility.
Earlier this month, Sweden dropped its investigation into the blasts, arguing it had no jurisdiction over the case, but handed over the evidence found to German investigators, who have yet to publish any conclusions.
Danish police stated that they had co-operated with relevant foreign partners and that the investigation was “both complex and comprehensive.” Denmark has previously claimed that the pipelines were affected by powerful explosions, with Swedish investigators confirming that traces of explosives found at the site strongly suggested that sabotage had taken place.
Germany told the UN Security Council last year that it had found evidence of underwater explosives on a sailing yacht that might have been used to transport the explosives and that trained divers could have attached the explosives to the pipelines.
Russia accused the United States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine of the explosions, which largely cut off Russian gas from the European market, but the countries denied being involved in the sabotage.
Some Western officials suggested Russian warships were in the area at the time of the blasts, but others argued there was no hard evidence of Moscow’s involvement calling the suggestion Russia was behind the attacks “absurd.”
