Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Sweden’s public prosecutor’s office said on Friday that an investigation into gas leaks from two undersea pipelines linking Russia to Germany had found traces of explosives, confirming it was “serious sabotage”. Swedish and Danish investigators are investigating a series of explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on September 26 that sent gas spewing to the surface of the Baltic Sea. The explosions caused four gas leaks at four locations: two in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone. The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that “residues of explosives were found in many of the seized foreign objects,” according to a translation. He added that work was continuing “to be able to draw certain conclusions about the incident”, noting that the investigation was “extensive and complex”. “The ongoing preliminary investigation should show whether someone can be served on suspicion and later prosecuted,” it said. Many in Europe suspect that the Nord Stream gas leaks were the result of an attack, particularly as they occurred during a bitter energy standoff between the European Union and Russia. Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that it destroyed the pipelines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia would wait for a full assessment of the damage before deciding on any repairs, Reuters reported. Danish police said last month that “strong explosions” caused the damage to the Nord Stream pipelines. Swedish and Danish authorities had previously estimated the magnitude of those explosions at 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter scale, respectively, which they said likely corresponded to an explosive charge of “several hundred kilograms”. Climate scientists have described the shocking images of gas spewing onto the surface of the Baltic Sea at the end of September as a “reckless release” of greenhouse gas emissions that, if deliberate, “constitutes an environmental crime”.
