Sweden’s home safety company mentioned Thursday that its preliminary investigation of leaks from two Russian gasoline pipelines within the Baltic Sea “has strengthened the suspicions of significant sabotage” because the trigger, and a prosecutor mentioned proof on the web site has been seized.
The Swedish Safety Service mentioned the probe confirmed that “detonations” brought on intensive injury to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines final week. When the leaks off Sweden and Denmark first emerged, authorities had mentioned that explosions have been recorded within the space.
The company, which mentioned what occurred within the Baltic Sea was “very severe,” did not give particulars about its investigation.
However in a separate assertion, Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist mentioned “seizures have been made on the crime scene and these will now be investigated.”
Ljungqvist, who led the preliminary investigation, didn’t determine the seized proof. Ljungqvist mentioned he had given “directives to quickly block [the area] and perform a criminal offense scene investigation.”
Now that the preliminary probe is accomplished, a blockade across the pipelines off Sweden can be lifted, he mentioned.
Large methane discharge
The governments of Denmark and Sweden beforehand mentioned they suspected that a number of hundred kilos of explosives have been concerned in finishing up a deliberate act of sabotage. The leaks from Nord Stream 1 and a couple of discharged enormous quantities of methane into the air.
Final week, undersea explosions ruptured Nord Stream 1 and its sister pipeline, Nord Stream 2, at two areas off Sweden and two off Denmark. The pipelines have been constructed to hold Russian pure gasoline to Germany.
Danish authorities mentioned the 2 methane leaks they have been monitoring in worldwide waters stopped over the weekend. One of many leaks off Sweden additionally appeared to have ended.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of attacking the pipelines, which the USA and its allies have vehemently denied, noting that Russia has probably the most to realize in wreaking havoc on Europe’s vitality markets.