Where is the Russian Leader?
Some US House members still don’t want to give the Ukraine another dollar….
Fight slows due to the weather….
Here’s what we know:
A series of undersea explosions ripped holes in the pipelines in late September, damaging the links that had been built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany.
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Residue of explosives at the Nord Stream site backs European claims of sabotage.
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Nearly half of Ukraine’s energy grid has been disabled by Russian strikes, the prime minister says.
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Fighting in eastern Ukraine slows as both sides seek to adapt for winter.
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Ukraine starts to build a wall on its border with Belarus, a close Russian ally.
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As Griner enters a penal colony, Russia signals it is open to a prisoner swap.
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Zelensky expresses skepticism that a Ukrainian missile hit Poland, putting him at odds with the West….
Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe.
1. Key developments
- “Advanced analysis work is still in progress” over the investigation into the Nord Stream pipelines that “have been subjected to gross sabotage,” Sweden’s security service said. The agency added in a statement that “the investigation is extensive and complex and will eventually show whether anyone can be suspected of, and later prosecuted for this.” The crime of gross sabotage carries a more severe sentence than ordinary sabotage under Swedish law.
- Russia is hoping for a “positive result” for its imprisoned national Viktor Bout, in any exchange with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday, according to state media. “Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result,” he said. There is speculation that Bout, a notorious arms dealer imprisoned in the United States, could be part of a prisoner swap to secure the release by Russia of WNBA star Brittney Griner and security consultant Paul Whelan.
- Fortification work is being carried out in Crimea to guarantee the safety of its inhabitants, said the Russian head of Crimea’s administration, Sergei Aksyonov, on Friday. What type of work is underway is unclear, but Britain’s Defense Ministry said separately that Russian “units have constructed new trench systems near the border of Crimea,” as well as near the Siversky-Donets River between Donetsk and Luhansk. “Some of these locations are up to 60km [37 miles] behind the current front line, suggesting that Russian planners are making preparations in case of further major Ukrainian breakthroughs,” the ministry said Friday.
- A Dutch court convicted in absentia two Russians and a Ukrainian separatist of murder in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which was hit by a missile over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. The conviction Thursday implicates Russia’s government, which denies any involvement and has refused to extradite the defendants or cooperate with investigators. The Kremlin claimed Friday that Moscow had faced “exclusion” from the proceedings and doubted the “objectivity” of the investigation. The defendants remain at large.
2. Battleground updates
- Russia is likely to redeploy troops from Kherson to Donetsk, Britain’s Defense Ministry said. The movement of Russia’s forces from Kherson will aim to “reinforce and expand its offensive operations near the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk,” it said Friday.
- Russian strikes hit “critical infrastructure” in Kharkiv on Friday, according to regional governor Oleh Synyehubov. “There is damage to gas industry equipment in the Izyum district,” he said on Telegram, and at least eight people were reported injured. In Donetsk, officials reported “isolated shelling” overnight but “without civilian casualties.” The Washington Post could not independently verify the reports.
- Russian shelling killed at least nine people and destroyed a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, according to Ukraine’s emergency services on Friday. Rescue operations are still underway, a day after the area was hit by Russian rockets, the services said. President Zelensky warned that the number of victims may increase because rubble is still being cleared.
3. Global impact
- Pope Francis said the Vatican is ready to help mediate an end to the war. “Everyone must commit to demilitarizing hearts, starting with their own. … We must all be pacifists,” the pontiff told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper in an interview Friday. He called on leaders in Kyiv and Moscow not to give up on dialogue….