(Bloomberg) — A Swedish investigation into ruptures at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines found explosive residue and has concluded that the cause was “grievous sabotage.”
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Despite pledges of support from Ukraine’s allies, there have been more calls for early negotiation, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying he hopes Volodymyr Zelenskiy will agree to resume peace talks with Russia. But the Ukrainian leader has said only the return of territory taken by Russia will allow an end to the war, and he is seeking more anti-aircraft weapons.
Kyiv is experiencing long periods without power following multiple attacks on critical energy infrastructure across the country earlier this week.
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Key Developments
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Ukrainians Endure Widespread Blackouts After Russia’s Attacks
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Grains Extend Losses as Ukraine Says Black Sea Deal to Continue
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Nord Stream Explosions Were Caused by Sabotage, Sweden Concludes
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Zelenskiy Says No Peace Until Ukraine Gets Crimea, Donbas Back
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Polish Blast Puts Focus on Ukraine Need for Stronger Air Defense
On the Ground
Ukraine’s troops repelled Russian attacks in Luhansk and in Donetsk regions over the past 24 hours, Military Staff based in Kyiv says. Meanwhile, Russia continues shelling and conducting air strikes. Crucial infrastructure facilities suffered attacks in cities in the regions of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk as well as the Mykolayiv region and Odesa. Ukraine’s air-defense forces intercepted four cruise missiles, two guided air missiles and five Iran-made single-use drones in the past 24 hours. The death toll from Thursday’s attack in Zaporizhzhia region rose to nine, the Ukrainian Emergency Service said on Telegram.
(All times CET)
Team From Ukraine Arrives to Examine Polish Blast Site (2 p.m.)
Ukrainian experts are on the site of the deadly explosion in Poland that the US and others say was the result of a Ukrainian air-defense missile trying to intercept an incoming Russian attack. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said on Twitter he was grateful for Poland’s cooperation.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s president appeared to soften his insistence that it was only a Russian missile that caused the blast in Poland this week.
G-7 Ministers Call for Bolstering Internal Security (1:30 p.m.)
Group of Seven nations said they will continue to strengthen their internal security due to the ongoing impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine, interior ministers said in a joint statement after meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany.
The ministers also said they would continue to discuss how to help address “horrific and despicable crimes committed by Russia and its proxies in the territory of Ukraine.” G-7 justice ministers are set to meet on Nov. 28-29 to discuss how to bolster cross-border probes of such crimes.
Damage to Mariupol Reaches $14.5 Billion, Mayor Says (12:2 p.m.)
Ukrainian authorities estimate material losses to Mariupol may reach as high as $14.5 billion, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said during a press conference in Warsaw.
Russian shelling and bombing destroyed about 90% of Mariupol’s key infrastructure and half of all its apartment blocks, as well as 11 of 15 hospitals, Boychenko said. He spoke as he signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on a future revival strategy for the city, which remains under Russian occupation.
Macron Says He Hopes Ukraine Will Return to Talks (12:10 p.m.)
“The Ukrainians, this is my hope, will come back to the table of negotiations with the Russians and the internal community will be around this table […] and P5 members and the Europeans will be part of it,” the French president told the Financial Times and Nikkei.
Damage in Kherson May Reach $55 Million (11:07 a.m.)
Russian troops caused damage to energy facilities in the liberated part of Kherson (on the right bank of the Dnipro river) of about UAH 1.5 – 2 billion ($41 – $55 million), according to Volodymyr Hetmanov, CEO of VS Energy International Ukraine, which manages the local grid.
Electricity supply can be restored within 14-21 days, Hetmanov said in a statement on Friday, adding that the time frame may change as “the situation is quite unpredictable.”
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said on Thursday that damage to Ukraine’s key infrastructure from Russian missile attacks since the war’s start may exceed $100 billion, in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power With David Westin.”
Swedish Probe Concludes Nord Stream Ruptures ‘Sabotage’ (10:00 a.m.)
The ruptures at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines was caused by “grievous sabotage,” according to a statement from Sweden’s security service following an investigation. Damaged sections will continue to be analyzed to see “if anyone can be made suspect and later charged,” it said.
“The analysis show residue of explosives on several of the foreign objects that were found,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a separate statement, adding that the site in the Baltic Sea has been “thoroughly documented.”
The pipeline, which crosses the Baltic Sea to Germany from Russia, has been the focus of a probe by authorities in Sweden after two leaks were discovered in the Nordic nation’s exclusive economic area at the end of September.
EU Officials Inspect Restored Bridge (9:30 a.m.)
European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis and Deputy Director General Katarina Mathernova were in Ukraine, and visited the bridge in Stoianka village near Kyiv that was damaged early in the invasion and renovated with EU help. They were accompanied by Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Russia Still Hoping for Prisoner-Swap Deal With US: Tass (8:40 a.m.)
Moscow is still hopeful it will be able to reach a deal to swap Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer being held in a US prison, for one of several Americans jailed in Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to Tass.
He didn’t specify when a deal might be reached. The two sides have been discussing a possible exchange for months as the US has sought the release of Brittney Griner, a WNBA basketball star who was moved to a prison colony in the Russian region of Mordovia this week to serve a 9-year drug sentence.
On the issue of possible diplomacy with the US over Ukraine, Ryabkov said Russia has nothing to talk about with Washington because of the huge gap between their positions.
Second Known Russian Soldier Flees: Guardian (8:15 a.m.)
A Russian soldier identified as Nikita Chibrin has requested political asylum after landing in Madrid, the Guardian reported.
The 27-year-old said that he spent more than four months in Ukraine as part of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, a unit accused of committing war crimes in the Kyiv region in March, according to the newspaper.
One other Russian serviceman is known to have fled the country after taking part in the invasion, the Guardian said.
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