Russia presses Copenhagen for clear answers on Nord Stream explosions
The Danish authorities have not allowed Russian investigators to participate in the probe of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 explosions, a decision Moscow says will be answered. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Moscow will not let the matter be ignored and will seek explanations from Copenhagen.
In Moscow’s view, Danish officials have yet to provide a clear response to several Russian inquiries or to share results of the investigation. This position is presented as evidence that Copenhagen was never genuinely interested in a joint inquiry from the outset.
Zakharova also noted that Danish officials did not deem it necessary to reply to a message from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The message touched on the involvement of Gazprom and Russian authorities in the investigation of the explosions.
On March 16, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen stated that Russia would not gain permission to participate in the Nord Stream inquiry. He added that Denmark would conduct a thorough investigation and would publish its findings when ready.
Responding to this stance, the Russian side called Denmark’s refusal to permit Russian participation a deliberate misdirection and said the actions bordered on deception. Moscow claimed the Danish move was a public hoax and likened it to a stale carnival that no one would buy into. Russian officials argued that Copenhagen’s conduct serves interests that may be tied to large sums of money at stake.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Ushakov followed with criticism of Denmark’s position on Russia’s proposal for a joint investigation involving the Russian side, including the Ministry of Emergencies. He described Denmark’s stance as unconstructive and argued that neutrality alone would not suffice, given that Russia was barred from participating.
Ushakov also mentioned that he personally summoned the Danish Charge d’Affaires on two occasions to urge the possibility of a joint investigation with Russia. The response from Copenhagen was deemed vague and unsatisfactory with respect to demining operations at the gas line and the handling of dangerous elements found in the pipelines.
Earlier, on March 14, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, asserted that Germany, Denmark, and Sweden refused to cooperate with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Russian Federal Security Service in the Nord Stream sabotage inquiry. Nebenzya sent a formal letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and to members of the Security Council and the General Assembly explaining Moscow’s position and concerns about the cooperation offers from those countries.
According to Nebenzya, the claim that Russian authorities were kept informed of the investigation through sabotage is not entirely accurate. He argued that those countries rejected cooperation offers without providing a satisfactory explanation and insisted that the narrative presented by some Western authorities does not capture the full reality of the situation.
By late September 2022, both Nord Stream pipelines rested on the Baltic seabed after explosions that caused extensive damage. Sweden, Denmark, and Germany initiated investigations, yet so far have not released concrete conclusions. The New York Times later reported on March 7 that a pro-Ukrainian group was named as a potential actor behind the attacks, citing anonymous U.S. officials. A separate report from Zeit on the same day indicated that German investigators had identified traces pointing toward Ukraine as part of their inquiry.
These events have kept the Nord Stream issue at the center of diplomatic exchange, with Moscow repeatedly urging transparency and cooperation from Copenhagen and other European partners while insisting that all investigative avenues remain open and verifiable.