COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥 Denmark on Monday joined Sweden in closing its investigation into the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines, with authorities saying they concluded there was deliberate sabotage but 鈥渘ot the sufficient grounds" to pursue a criminal case.
Danish authorities said the probe 鈥渉as been both complex and comprehensive." Copenhagen police, which carried out the investigation jointly with the Danish security service, said they were not able to provide further comments.
The underwater detonations on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany, occurred in international waters but within Swedish and Danish economic zones. Sweden earlier said that .
Denmark鈥檚 investigation was one of three into the explosions.
on the grounds that it has no jurisdiction. It said the investigation鈥檚 primary purpose was to establish whether Sweden or its citizens somehow were involved. Swedish officials also said they handed over to Germany 鈥渕aterial that can be used as evidence in the German investigation.鈥
Denmark's decision to close the investigation was expected, Kenneth 脴hlenschl忙ger Buhl of the Royal Danish Defense College told The Associated Press.
鈥淭he Swedes said they had a fairly good idea of who was behind it but have no jurisdiction over those they wanted to talk to,鈥 脴hlenschl忙ger Buhl said. The Danes are saying 鈥渢he same, just slightly different words.鈥
鈥淚 believe that the Germans cannot reach any other conclusion,鈥 he said. "They may open the lid a little more, but not much.鈥
The German federal prosecutor鈥檚 office said Monday that its investigation continues and that it won't provide more information.
The source of the explosions has been .
The blasts happened as Europe attempted to wean itself off Russian energy sources following the Kremlin鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and contributed to tensions that followed the start of the war.
The undersea explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia鈥檚 main natural gas supply route to Germany until Russia at the end of August 2022.
They also damaged the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never entered service because Germany shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in February of that year.
The explosions at the pipelines took place about 80 meters (260 feet) underwater on the ocean floor in the Baltic Sea. Seismic measurements indicated that the explosions occurred shortly before the leaks were discovered.
Months after the detonations, there is no accepted explanation. Russia has accused the U.S. of staging the explosions, a charge Washington denies.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that 鈥渢he situation is close to absurd.鈥
鈥淥n the one hand, there was a deliberate act of sabotage and on the other hand there has been no progress鈥 in the investigation. 鈥淭he situation is so obvious that one can only express absolute astonishment,鈥 he said.
The pipelines were long and some of its allies, who warned that they posed a risk to Europe鈥檚 energy security by increasing dependence on Russian gas.
In March 2023, German media reported that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in the sabotage using a vessel and setting off from the German port of Rostock. Ukraine rejected suggestions it might have ordered the attack and German officials over the accusation.
Swedish prosecutors earlier hinted that the identity of the perpetrator was likely to remain unclear.
Beyond their geopolitical impact, the Nord Stream pipeline leaks were a huge environmental disaster with local wildlife affected and huge volumes of methane discharged into the Baltic Sea in what analysts believe could be the due to human activity.
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Associated Press writer Geir Moulsen in Berlin contributed to this report.
