On Thursday, Swedish Security Services seized evidence during their preliminary investigation into leaks found in two Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, strengthening suspicions from the West that serious sabotage caused the damage.
The Swedish Security Service said that the probe used in the investigation to dive underwater found evidence of “detonations,” which caused extensive damage to both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 from last week.
Neither pipeline was actively transporting gas at the time of the incident, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Sweden and Denmark first learned of the leaks when an explosion was recorded in the area by domestic security devices.
Swedish prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said, “seizures have been made at the crime scene and these will now be investigated.” Though the type of evidence seized was not disclosed, that area in the Baltic remained temporarily blocked off until the initial probe was complete.
A Kremlin spokesperson claimed on Thursday that he did not think the investigation could be objective without Russia’s participation after not having been invited to take part.
Both the governments of Sweden and Denmark said they suspected that several hundred pounds of explosives were used to carry out the sabotage, discharging vast amounts of methane into the air.
Both pipelines—Nord Stream 1 completed in 2011 and Nord Stream 2 in 2021—span 760 miles, with the purpose of carrying Russian natural gas to Germany. However, Nord Stream 2 failed to become fully operational, as the project was shelved by Germany when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has denied the allegations implicating Russian sabotage, accusing the Western NATO alliance of attacking the pipeline, which the U.S. and allies have staunchly denied.
Germany’s reliance on Russian gas accounted for 55% of all energy imports in 2021. Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Germany has reduced gas imports by 26%, vowing to replace all Russian energy imports by mid-2024.
Much of the rest of Europe has followed suit in attempting to undercut Russia economically, leading Russia to largely cut off energy exports to those nations. The situation for Europe is potentially dire as winter approaches, forcing the nations to rely on extensive logging to heat homes, as reported by The Dallas Express.