Sweden drops investigation into Nord Stream pipeline attack, passes evidence to Germany

Sweden has dropped its investigation into the 2022 explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, saying the case falls outside the country’s jurisdiction. The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office said all evidence has been handed over to German law enforcement for use in its own investigation.

Swedish prosecutors reached the decision after determining that there was no evidence of Sweden’s or Swedish citizens’ involvement.

The Nord Stream explosions took place on September 26, 2022, in the Baltic Sea near the Danish island of Bornholm. Three out of four pipelines were damaged in the blasts.

In November 2023, The Washington Post, citing Ukrainian and European officials, wrote that Roman Chervinsky, a 48-year-old Ukrainian colonel who served in the country’s Special Operations Forces, coordinated the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.

Chervinsky, who is currently being held in a Kyiv pre-trial detention center on charges of abuse of power, denied the allegations.