The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office announced this Wednesday the conclusion of the investigation into the sabotage of the Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 , took place in September 2022 due to a lack of responsibility. “The preliminary investigation was systematic and thorough. Many ship movements were analyzed to understand what happened. In addition, a comprehensive investigation of the crime scene and many interrogations were carried out. Given the overall picture we have, we can confirm that there is no Swedish jurisdiction,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement.
Ljungqvist recalled that the main aim of the investigation was to find out whether Swedish citizens were involved and whether Swedish territory was used for the acts, endangering the security of this Nordic country. “There is no evidence that Sweden or Swedish citizens were involved in the attack in international waters.“highlighted the prosecutor. Ljungqvist also highlighted the good cooperation with the Danish and especially German authorities, to whom they have provided material “that can be used as evidence in the German investigation.”
“The German investigation is ongoing and due to the secrecy that governs international judicial cooperation, I cannot comment further. For the same reason, I cannot provide any further details about the conclusions of the Swedish investigation or about possible suspects in it,” he explained. Ljungqvist.
The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office – the one before had confirmed that it was an act of “serious sabotage”. presumably carried out by a state actor – had announced yesterday that he would make a decision this Wednesday on the case, which, according to German media, would already be closed.
In total Two leaks were detected in each gas line, two in the Danish zone and two in the Swedish zone, all in international waters, which the affected governments soon described as “sabotage” and additionally targeted a state actor.
The three main leaks were stopped in early October of that year when stable pressure was achieved in the pipes The smallest one remained active for a few more days. Neither gas pipeline was in operation at the time of the accidents.
The first deliveries were interrupted after Moscow reported technical problems The second never came into force because the German government blocked it after Moscow recognized the self-proclaimed separatist republics in Donbas in February 2022.
Competing hypotheses regarding authorship
Both the affected countries as well as the rest of the European Union (EU), the USA and Russia speak of sabotage, but differ as to the possible authorship. Moscow accused “Anglo-Saxon” countries of being behind it, alluding to Washington’s longstanding opposition to the project, while some Western countries pointed in the opposite direction.
An investigation by American journalist Seymour Hersh pointed to US intelligence agencies collaborating with Norway and other Western countries. Media from the USA and Germany later pointed to a pro-Ukrainian group as the perpetrator of the sabotage.