Sweden found traces of explosives confirming that the leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines were an act of sabotage

Authorities in Sweden confirmed on Friday that the explosions that destroyed sections of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines were acts of sabotage.

Sweden and Denmark have been investigating four holes in the underwater pipelines that carry natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

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The Swedish Tax Authority confirmed that an act of flagrant sabotage had taken place.

“The analyzes carried out found traces of explosives in various foreign objects recovered at the site,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist, who is leading the preliminary investigations, said in a statement.

Ljungqvist’s statement added that the investigation is very complex and extensive, and that they are conducting more technical analysis to “reach more reliable conclusions regarding the incident.”

The Swedish Tax Authority said that “ongoing investigations will show whether any suspects can be formally identified.”

The entity refrained from giving more details.

On September 26, 2022, they were detected four major leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm, Denmark, shortly after seismic institutes recorded two tremors that were not consistent with earthquakes.

The operator of Nord Stream 1 said at the time that the submarine lines simultaneously suffered “unprecedented” damage in one day, while the operators of Nord Stream 2 warned of a loss of pressure in the pipeline.

“There is no doubt that they were explosions,” Bjorn Lund, of the Swedish National Center for Seismology, said at the time, quoted by local media.

Investigators had already commented on their suspicions of sabotage after preliminary inspections.

While the leaks occurred in international waters, two of these were in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and another two were in Sweden’s.

Center of tensions

At the end of October, Nord Stream sent a Russian-flagged civilian ship to inspect the damage in the Swedish area.

Nord Stream gas pipeline route from Russia

The gas pipelines, which connect Russia with Germany, have been in the center of geopolitical tension since Russia cut off its gas supplies to Europe, in an alleged retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Although the pipelines were not in operation when the leaks occurred, both continued to contain gas that escaped through the water into the atmosphere. This generated warnings of a risk to the public and fears of environmental damage.

A Swedish newspaper, Expressen, reported on October 18 that a section of at least 50 meters was missing from the Nord Stream 1 gas pipelineafter taking what he said were the first published images of the damage.

In September, Denmark sent ships to survey the damage. (Reuters)

accusations

It is still not clear who could be responsible for the pipeline ruptures, and both Russia and some Western countries exchanged accusations.

The Ukrainian government claimed that the leaks were caused by Russia in a “terrorist attack”.

Moscow denied being behind the explosions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the sabotage allegations as “predictable, stupid and absurd.”

Washington and Moscow have also accused each other of involvement.Although both have denied it.

Last month, Russia’s Defense Ministry said British navy personnel had blown up the pipelines, a claim London dismissed as false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine.

Separately, Peskov stated that Russia will wait until there is a full assessment of the damage to the pipelines before deciding whether to undertake any repairs.

Source: Elcomercio