Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had summoned the ambassadors of Germany, Sweden and Denmark to protest what it called the "lack of any results" in an investigation into explosions that damaged two Nord Stream gas pipelines in September.
Several unidentified underwater explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 lines, which connect Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea.
The blasts occurred in two economic zones belonging to Sweden and Denmark, which both countries say were deliberate and that they and Germany are investigating the incident but have not yet identified those responsible.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the three countries of deliberately dragging their feet in the investigation and trying to hide who was behind the bombings, and said it was not satisfied with what it described as the ambiguous nature of the investigation and its refusal to deal with Russia.
"We have noticed that these countries are not interested in determining the real circumstances of this sabotage, and on the contrary, they are delaying efforts and trying to hide the impact and the real perpetrators of the crime, who we believe are well-known countries," she said.
"It is no coincidence that unlikely 'leaked' accounts (of what happened) are being broadcast by the media in an attempt to disturb the atmosphere," the statement said.
The United States and NATO have called the blasts an "act of sabotage" and Moscow blames the West and neither side has provided any evidence.
The ministry said Moscow would continue to try to ensure that Germany, Denmark and Sweden carried out what it described as an objective investigation with Russian involvement.
Swedish diplomats expelled
On the other hand, Moscow said on Thursday that it would expel 5 Swedish diplomats, in response to the expulsion of 5 of its diplomatic staff in Sweden last April, which it described at the time as an "explicit hostile step."
A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said relations between the two countries had "reached an unprecedented low" and announced the closure of the Swedish consulate in St. Petersburg.
On April 25, Sweden announced the expulsion of five Russian diplomats for "activities incompatible" with their diplomatic status.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said at the time that "5 officials of the Russian embassy in Sweden were asked to leave the country, due to unspecified activities that are not in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."
Sweden did not specify those activities, but Moscow immediately expressed outrage at the Swedish decision, and the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Moscow would respond to Sweden's expulsion of Russian diplomats.
Relations between the two countries have worsened since Sweden announced last year its intention to join NATO after Russia's war on Ukraine.