Nord Stream Sabotage: Who Destroyed the Pipelines?

The Baltic's Explosive Night

Four underwater explosions rocked the Baltic Sea on September 26, 2022, near the Danish island of Bornholm, destroying the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. Denmark's Seismic Institute recorded the blasts at 02:03 and 19:03 with a magnitude of 2.3 on the Richter scale. The leaks occurred in Danish and Swedish economic zones approximately 50 miles southeast of Bornholm. Each of the four damaged pipeline sections sustained ruptures measuring between 200 and 800 meters in length—an unprecedented level of destruction.

The explosions released an estimated 500 million cubic meters of methane, representing humanity's largest sabotage-related methane release. Danish authorities documented massive gas bubbles on the sea surface visible for days. The sabotage occurred amid Russia's war on Ukraine and was immediately classified as deliberate infrastructure sabotage.

Parallel Investigations Across Three Nations

Sweden, Denmark, and Germany launched comprehensive investigations immediately following the explosions. The Swedish prosecution authority opened a case on September 27, 2022, for serious sabotage. The Swedish Armed Forces Signals Intelligence Agency (FRA) and coast guard collected evidence from the seafloor, including explosive residue and metal fragments. After 16 months, Sweden closed the investigation on February 8, 2024, citing lack of Swedish jurisdiction and inability to identify suspects.