Sweden closes the case on sabotage against Nord Stream

The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office has suspended the investigation into the Nord Stream bombing that occurred in September 2022, citing the lack of jurisdiction of the Swedish court in this case, according to a statement from the press service of the Swedish Prosecutor’s Office.

Since September 26, 2022, Sweden had been investigating the sabotage of Nord Stream, focusing on determining if Swedish citizens were involved and if Swedish territory was used in the commission of the crime. The preliminary investigation has now reached a stage where authorities have a comprehensive understanding of the incident, but no evidence of Swedish or Swedish nationals’ involvement was found. The incident took place in international waters.

The prosecutor’s office has decided to suspend further investigation, asserting that Sweden lacks jurisdiction over the case.

«In summary, the Swedish preliminary investigation has been able to reject and confirm the circumstances that together lead to the conclusion that there are no longer grounds for the Swedish preliminary investigation to continue, as it can be assumed that the Swedish court does not have jurisdiction», — stated the Swedish prosecutor’s office.

The investigation into the Nord Stream bombing continues in Germany. The explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines occurred on September 26, 2022, in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. All countries involved in the investigation are treating the explosions as deliberate and are working to identify those responsible.

In March 2023, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine denied the country’s involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, and this stance was reiterated in early June. The US National Security Council also did not confirm any «Ukrainian trace.»

An investigation by four broadcasters – Danish DR, Norwegian NRK, Swedish SVT, and Finnish Yle – reported that in June 2022, Russian ships entered the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion area at least twice, with another visit less than a week before the explosions.