On Wednesday, Mats Ljungqvist, the chief prosecutor in the Swedish case, issued a statement, recommending the probe be discontinued following a "systematic and thorough" investigation.
"Among other things, a large number of ship movements have been analyzed in order to understand what has happened," Ljungqvist said, noting that his investigation was extensive, and that he had exhausted all efforts in examining a potential crime scene in international waters.
"Against the background of the situation we now have, we can state that Swedish jurisdiction does not apply," Ljungqvist concluded.
Prosecutors suspected "gross sabotage" in the blasts that struck the Baltic Sea pipeline between Russia and Germany on Sept. 26, 2022, however, investigators have so far been unable to pinpoint a suspect as no Swedish citizens were found to be involved.
Since the explosions, the Swedish Prosecution Authority sought to determine whether Swedish citizens were involved, and whether Swedish territory was used to attack the pipeline, but none of these factors were ever established.
Parallel investigations in Germany and Denmark remain ongoing, which limited what Ljungqvist could reveal on his end "due to the secrecy that prevails in international legal cooperation," he said.
Sweden and Denmark have classified the incident as a deliberate act of sabotage after the Swedish investigation turned up traces of explosives at one of the blast sites.
Previously, German investigators said they found evidence that a yacht was used to deliver a payload of explosives to the Baltic Sea, but from there the trail went cold, leading to global speculation about who was most likely responsible.
No state or group has ever claimed responsibility for the mysterious blasts that destroyed three of the four strands of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines 17 months ago.
Ukraine and Poland blamed Russia for the explosions, but the Kremlin denied any involvement while falsely claiming that Britain attacked the pipeline.
Media reports in the United States and Germany and have also suggested the involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group, but in an interview last June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had nothing to do with the blasts.
"I am president and I give orders accordingly," he told Politico. "Nothing of the sort has been done by Ukraine. I would never act that way."
Later in November, the Washington Post reported the trio of explosions had been orchestrated by a former senior Ukrainian military officer, citing anonymous Ukrainian and European officials.
The former military officer, identified as Col. Roman Chervinsky, once had strong ties to the intelligence community and served as the covert operation's "coordinator," the newspaper said.
Chervinsky denied any involvement after the story alleged he commanded a six-person team that chartered a sailboat and used deep-sea diving equipment to plant the bombs.
Chervinsky has not been charged in the blasts, although he was arrested last April in connection with an alleged plot to hijack a Russian fighter jet.
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