Danish authorities say they did help Germany investigate the Nord Stream sabotage, referring German prosecutors to an existing intelligence channel after a request for legal assistance in February 2024.
DR reports that the Danish Director of Public Prosecutions, Rigsadvokaten, confirmed in a written reply that it answered a German request for mutual legal assistance in February 2024. In a letter dated February 14, 2024, it referred the federal prosecutor in Karlsruhe to the cooperation already established between the two countries’ intelligence services.
Rigsadvokaten told DR it cannot comment further on the concrete international cooperation in the case. It referred additional questions to Copenhagen Police and the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, PET. PET said its investigations are classified because they concern state security, that it had good cooperation with its German partners, and that it cannot detail the content of that cooperation.
What the German indictment says
DR has obtained a 108-page German indictment in the Nord Stream case, dated June 26, 2026, which is not publicly available. According to DR, the document states that Danish authorities refused to investigate on Bornholm and Christiansø because of a possible threat to the state’s well-being. The refusal, from the Copenhagen public prosecutor’s office, is dated February 14, 2024.
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As reported by DR, German investigators had asked for help with steps on the two islands, including questioning port officials and yachtsmen. Those witnesses might have seen the Ukrainian-chartered sailing yacht linked to the suspected perpetrators. DR’s international coverage notes that the indictment contrasts Denmark with Sweden and Poland, which agreed to assist German police.
Law professor Birgit Feldtmann of Aalborg University has read both the indictment and the Danish replies. She told DR it is positive that Denmark pointed the Germans to the intelligence track. She added that there are indications German prosecutors did not gain access to interviews with potential witnesses on Christiansø.
Prosecution service rejects the refusal claim
The Danish prosecution service told Ritzau that Danish authorities have not refused to cooperate with Germany. It pointed to a joint press statement from Copenhagen Police and PET issued on February 26, 2024. In that statement, the two authorities closed their joint investigation, said sabotage had been established, and said Danish authorities had cooperated with relevant foreign partners.
Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen declined to answer DR’s questions about the case. He referred instead to the reply from Rigsadvokaten, which states that Danish authorities did not refuse cooperation with Germany and directed the German side to the established intelligence-service channel.
The Danish statements follow DR’s reporting on the German indictment this month. Ritzau notes that the latest Danish comments directly address and contest the document’s portrayal of Denmark as having refused assistance.
