Sweden will not allow Russia to participate in the pipeline leak investigation

Sweden will not allow Russia to participate in an ongoing investigation into the causes of multiple leaks in underwater pipelines transporting Russian natural gas to Europe, reports Radio Free Europe.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on October 10 that while Russia would not be allowed to join the investigation, Stockholm would invite a joint European Union investigation and Moscow would be free to conduct its own inspections of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.

"In Sweden, preliminary investigations are confidential, and of course that also applies to this case," Anderson told reporters.

Russia will be allowed access to the site of the leaks discovered in late September because they took place in international waters, albeit in Sweden's exclusive economic zone, she said.

Four leaks in three of the four lines that make up the Russian-owned pipelines have sent tons of pressurized methane gas into the Baltic Sea and caused concern in Europe amid the ongoing energy crisis.

Western officials said the leak in gas pipelines linking Russia to Germany was caused by sabotage. This has led to suspicions that Moscow is behind the incidents, similar to accusations that Russia is withholding energy supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over its war against Ukraine.

On October 7, Russia said it would consider its own investigation into a gas pipeline leak off the coast of Denmark after the country refused to allow Moscow to participate in the investigation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of America (USA) and its allies of carrying out attacks on two gas pipelines.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on October 6 that the West was deliberately obstructing the investigation and that it was "inconceivable" that Moscow and Russian gas giant Gazprom could not participate.

There are concerns that the salt water could permanently damage the pipelines. On October 2, the Russian operator of Nord Stream 10 decompressed that gas pipeline for safety reasons.