Sweden is closing its investigation into the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines after concluding that the case does not fall within the jurisdiction of its courts because there is no evidence that Sweden or Swedish citizens were involved in the attack, which took place in “international waters”, with the country’s public prosecutor, Mats Ljungqvist, announcing on Wednesday, the 7th of February, that after a “systematic and thorough” investigation, officials had concluded that the investigation should be dropped, reports Politico.
Ljungqvist has added that Germany is continuing its investigation and Sweden has handed over its evidence, but due to the confidentiality of international legal cooperation, he cannot comment on the details revealed by both sides.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia would follow Germany’s handling of the investigation into the Nord Stream explosions, noting that Germany had suffered losses due to a “terrorist attack”.
Berlin, Stockholm and Copenhagen jointly investigated the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines connecting Russia’s Siberian gas fields to Germany in September 2022.
The explosions still remain unclear and investigators have not yet been able to identify the responsible.
Sweden and Denmark have classified the Nord Stream pipeline explosions as deliberate sabotage, finding traces of explosives. Meanwhile, German investigators linked the explosives to the boat that transported them.
The incident has fuelled theories about who was responsible, with most countries blaming Russia.
Without providing any evidence, Moscow has claimed that the UK was responsible, a claim dismissed by the UK Ministry of Defence as “invented”.
Media reports, including in the New York Times and German publications, have suggested that a pro-Ukrainian group may have been involved in the Nord Stream explosions.
In June, in an interview with Politico’s parent company Axel Springer, Ukrainian President Zelensky denied responsibility, claiming that Ukraine had done nothing of the kind. “I am the president, I give the appropriate orders. I would never act like that”, he has said.
Also read: Media: Russian ships seen at the site of the Nord Stream explosion
Also read: Ukraine denies involvement in Nord Stream sabotage
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