Denmark has become the second country to drop its investigation into the explosions in 2022 on the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, after Sweden closed its own inquiry.
Related article: Times says pro-Ukraine group behind Nord Stream sabotage
The multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish and Danish economic zones in September 2022.
Russia and the West have pointed fingers at one another and no one has taken responsibility for the Nord Stream sabotage.
The blasts occurred seven months after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which triggered a wide range of Western economic and financial sanctions against Moscow.
Police in Copenhagen said in a statement, “The investigation has led the authorities to conclude that there was deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines. However, the assessment is that there are not sufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark.”
Earlier this month, Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation into the explosions, saying the country lacked jurisdiction in the case. They handed uncovered evidence over to German investigators, who have yet to publish the findings.
A German government spokesperson said Berlin was still interested in pursuing the case.
Related article: EU vows to act after Russia’s pipeline ‘sabotage’
In July, Germany told the UN Security Council it had found traces of subsea explosives on a sailing yacht that may have been used to transport the explosives and that trained divers may have attached the explosives to the pipelines.
