Denmark’s Nord Stream probe finds sabotage, not enough grounds for case

Police find deliberate sabotage responsible for 2022 blasts at Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines but not sufficient grounds to pursue criminal case.

Denmark says it has closed its investigation into mysterious blasts that in 2022 damaged two pipelines built to carry Russian gas to Europe, with authorities concluding they were an act of sabotage but there were not enough grounds for a criminal case.

The explosions at the multibillion-dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines contributed to tensions that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Russia and Ukraine’s Western allies swiftly traded blame over the incident under the Baltic Sea, which also caused environmentally damaging releases of vast amounts of methane into the air.

Danish police said in a statement on Monday that their investigation – one of three into the explosions – had found “there was deliberate sabotage” of the pipelines, but “the assessment is that there are not sufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case”.

In response to the announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision was “close to absurdity” and accused Denmark of closing the case to cover up for its allies.

“On the one hand, they recognise that a deliberate sabotage took place, but on the other hand they are not moving forward,” Peskov told journalists, adding that Denmark had refused requests to provide information about its investigation.