INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The blasts which destroyed sections of the Nord Stream pipelines carrying natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea in
geopolitical tensions as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following Moscow's invasion of
Ukraine.Four large gas leaks were discovered on Nord Stream's two pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm at the end of September, with
seismic institutes recording two underwater explosions just prior.Investigators had already said preliminary inspections had reinforced
suspicions of sabotage.Russia and Western countries, particularly the United States, have traded bitter barbs over who is responsible for
the blasts."The analyses conducted found traces of explosives on several foreign objects" at the sites of the blasts, prosecutor Mats
Ljungqvist, who is leading the preliminary investigation, said in a statement Friday.Ljungqvist added technical analyses were continuing in
order to "draw more reliable conclusions regarding the incident."Sweden's prosecution authority said the "continued investigation will show
watched investigation has also been supported by Sweden's coast guard, the Swedish armed forces and the police.While the leaks were in
international waters, two of them were in the Danish exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden's.At the end of October, Nord Stream sent a
conducting a second probe of the damage to complement the first done in early October.In early November, the operator said roughly 250
meters (820 feet) of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline had been destroyed and that craters with a depth of three to five meters had been found on
the seabed.Although the pipelines were not in operation when the leaks occurred, they both still contained gas which spewed up through the
water and into the atmosphere.Moscow has accused Western countries of being behind the explosions of the pipelines, but has not provided any
"distractions which are part of the Russian playbook" by a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.Ukraine and some Western
countries have meanwhile pointed the finger at Russia.In mid-October, Russia said it was ready to resume deliveries of gas through the parts
of the pipeline not affected by the leaks, with President Vladimir Putin saying "the ball was in the EU's court."
