Nord Stream. Sweden confirms gas pipelines have been sabotaged

The explosions in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines built to transport Russian gas to Europe in September in the Baltic Sea are a part of sabotage, the general prosecutor of the preliminary investigation conducted in Sweden announced on Friday, November 18.

“Analyzes show traces of explosives on some of the foreign objects found“Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist, who is leading the preliminary investigation, which was opened after the discovery of four huge gas leaks in gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, stated in a press release. “A follow-up investigation can determine whether someone can be prosecuted for a crime– the prosecution added. At the end of September, four huge gas leaks were discovered in gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, all in international waters.

Two, however, are in Sweden’s economic zone, two in Denmark’s. Preliminary underwater investigations have strengthened suspicions of sabotage, as investigators say the leak was preceded by explosions.

At the end of October, the “North Stream” consortium, whose main shareholder is the Russian “Gazprom”, sent a Russian-flagged civilian ship to carry out an inspection in the Swedish zone. In November, Nord Stream also received permission to inspect gas pipelines on the territory of Denmark, where another investigation is underway.

Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the two pipelines linking Russia to Germany have been at the heart of geopolitical tensions that have flared since Moscow’s decision to cut off gas supplies to Europe in what is believed to be retaliation for Western sanctions.

The two gas pipelines, which were not in operation at the time of the events, nevertheless contained large amounts of methane, which continued to escape for several weeks, causing spectacular bubbling.