Russia presses for answers from West over Nord Stream blasts

A Danish naval vessel on patrol in the Baltic passes the island of Christianso, a small archipelago with just 98 inhabitants under the administration of the Danish defense ministry in the Baltic Sea near the Nord Stream pipeline blast sites, in Denmark, March 9, 2023. /Tom Little/File Photo

MOSCOW - Russia's general prosecutor's office has written to western countries, it said on Wednesday, asking them to respect international obligations to deliver justice as they investigate the Nord Stream blasts and "acts of terrorism" in Russia.

Moscow has shown its frustration over the inconclusive nature of inquiries by some foreign powers into explosions in September 2022 on the pipelines designed to carry Russian gas to western Europe.

Denmark dropped its investigation in February after Sweden closed its inquiry and handed evidence it had uncovered over to German investigators.

Russia's general prosecutor said the letters were sent to Cyprus, France, Germany and the United States after Russian lawmakers and public figures asked for information about the investigation.

It said it wanted to know about the possible involvement of individuals and organisations in setting up and funding some terrorism acts in Russia, as well as the Nord Stream blasts.

It did not explicitly mention last month's attack on a Moscow concert hall when more than 140 people were killed. The Kremlin has linked it to Ukraine, while saying the attack was carried out by Islamists. Ukraine denies any role.

Russia and the West, at loggerheads over Moscow's conflict with Ukraine, have accused each other over the pipeline blasts. Each has denied involvement and no one has taken responsibility.

The Kremlin has called the situation regarding the investigations "close to absurd".

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Barbara Lewis)