A Swedish investigation said that it has found evidence that suggests "detonations" were responsible for the damage found on Russia's Nord Stream pipeline.
The remarks came on Thursday and were made by Sweden's national security service as tensions rise over the incident. Authorities said that the discovery strengthens the suspicions of gross sabotage.
Swedish Investigation of Pipeline Leaks
In a statement, Sweden's Security Service noted that the investigation found there have been detonations at the two pipelines in the Swedish exclusive economic zone. These were allegedly responsible for "extensive damage" to the pipelines.
The service added that certain seizures have been made but did not provide further details regarding the remark, but noted that they would continue their review and analysis. The Security Service also said that the continued preliminary investigation must show whether someone can be served with suspicion and later prosecuted.
Separately, Sweden's prosecutor's office said that the area was no longer cordoned off. The situation comes after seismologists reported explosions on Sept. 26 that were in the vicinity of the unusual Nord Stream gas leaks, as per CNBC.
The pipelines are situated in international waters but inside Denmark's and Sweden's exclusive economic zones. The nation's armed forces said at the time that video footage revealed the largest gas leak created a surface disturbance of roughly one kilometer in diameter while the smallest leak caused a circle of roughly 200 meters.
The incident has prompted the European Union to suspect sabotage, particularly because the leaks come amid a bitter energy standoff between Brussels and Moscow. However, Russia has continued to deny the claims and said that such allegations were "stupid."
According to the New York Post, the discovery of the leaks ignited a new round of tension between Washington and Moscow over Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. Russia has accused the United States of sabotaging the lines, accusing Washington and its allies of having the most to gain from restricting energy supplies to Europe.
Russia's Denial of Allegations
The situation comes as Europe, which had received up to 40% of its gas from Russia before the invasion of Ukraine, is now facing an energy crisis this winter after Moscow cut off its gas supply. The investigation into the leaks of the Nord Stream pipeline systems most likely involved unmanned vehicles, said Swedish Navy spokesman Jimmie Adamsson.
In response to the leaks, nations such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have increased their maritime security presence in the North Sea. This was made to reassure those working near the gas pipelines that they would be safe, said the UK Ministry of Defense on Monday.
Over the weekend, NATO, which Sweden is currently applying to be a member of, accused Russia of targeting the pipelines in what it called "deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage." On the other hand, Russia said that it would not acknowledge the results of any investigation that it was not directly involved with.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that they were informed via diplomatic channels that as of now, there were no plans to ask the Russian side to join investigations into the leaks. The official added that the Kremlin did not believe an investigation that did not involve Russia could be objective, Fox News reported.
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