Denmark drops investigation into Nord Stream explosions

Denmark said on Feb. 26 that it had dropped its investigation into the series of explosions that ruptured Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, becoming the second country to do so after Sweden.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were blown up in September 2022. Investigations have been ongoing since then but have yet to produce a definitive conclusion regarding the source of the explosions. Moscow and the West have traded blame for the incident.

"The investigation has led the authorities to conclude that the sabotage of the pipelines was intentional. However, the assessment is that there is no sufficient basis to pursue a criminal case in Denmark," the Danish police said in a statement.

Swedish authorities concluded on Feb. 7 that they had found no evidence linking the incident to Sweden or Swedish citizens and had, therefore, no further reasons to continue their investigation.

This leaves Germany as the sole country still carrying out its investigation.

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

U.K. intelligence sources told the Times newspaper shortly after the explosions that Russia was allegedly behind the attack. In turn, Russia publicly accused the U.K. and the U.S. of the sabotage.

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.

Sources with knowledge of the German investigation told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in January 2024 that they believe the attack was launched from Poland and said that the Polish government has been hesitant to provide information to investigators and withheld other evidence.

The sources also acknowledged that there was no concrete evidence connecting the Polish government or officials to the explosions but said that the perceived hesitance of Polish authorities to cooperate with the investigation was a source of suspicion.

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