Nord Stream leaks caused by detonation, says Sweden’s probe
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Security police said detonations caused the damage to the Nord Stream underwater pipeline system just outside its territorial waters.
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Seizures from the crime scene are being analyzed to show “whether anyone can be suspected and later prosecuted,” the security service said in a statement. The completed investigation has “strengthened the suspicions of gross sabotage,” it said.
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The two leaks in the pipelines crossing the Baltic Sea to Germany from Russia were revealed in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone last week, and two more leaks in Denmark’s zone, prompting investigations and increased security for the region’s key energy infrastructure.
The outages have raised fears that Russia could stage sneak attacks on vital energy routes to drive up prices in the already stressed European Union as winter sets in. Several governments, including the German one, have previously called the actions “deliberate” and “sabotage”. Finland noted last week that only a state actor could be capable of acting on such a scale.
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The fourth leak was found in Nord Stream’s underwater gas pipe
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“We cannot rule out sabotage”: Nord Stream gas pipelines have three leaks
The Kremlin has denied it was responsible for the Nord Stream blasts.
Gas leaks in the Swedish zone appear to be diminishing in strength, the country’s coastguard said on Wednesday, while bubbling near Denmark had stopped over the weekend.