Day 268 Roundup: Remains of Explosives Found at Nord Stream Blast Sites, Swedish Prosecutor Says

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Facts

  • The Swedish prosecutor probing explosions that hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September confirmed on Friday that they were caused by 'gross sabotage,' and said the remains of explosives have been discovered at the sites.1
  • The office of public prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist stated: 'During the crime scene investigations... extensive seizures were made and the area has been carefully documented. Analyses that have now been carried out show traces of explosives on several of the foreign objects that were found.'1
  • The statement made no mention of suspects and said that Ljungqvist wouldn't be available for media questioning. Earlier, without providing evidence, Russia's defense ministry blamed specialists from Britain's Royal Navy for the blasts — an allegation that the UK denies.2
  • Meanwhile, as Russia continued to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the week, Pres. Zelenskyy said more than 10M people were without electricity as of Thursday night. By Friday, energy was reportedly restored nearly everywhere, except to roughly 300 customers near the frontline.3
  • On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the strikes on energy infrastructure were a consequence of Ukraine's failure to engage in negotiations. 'The unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to resolve the problem and to enter into negotiations,' according to Peskov, is one of 'the root causes of the consequences.'4
  • Meanwhile, renewed Russian attacks were recorded in the regions of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and the west bank of Kherson, where one civilian was reported killed. One civilian was killed and four more were injured in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials added that the death toll from a Wednesday strike on the region of Zaporizhzhia has risen to nine.5
  • Elsewhere, separatist officials from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) reported that one civilian was killed and four more were injured over the past day in Ukrainian attacks.6

Sources: 1Metro US, 2Reuters, 3Ukrayinska Pravda, 4TASS, 5UKRINFORM and 6DAN.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNBC. Russia's deliberate targeting of energy infrastructure, which is unnecessarily increasing the suffering of civilians, amounts to war crimes. This ongoing Russian barbarity must be confronted.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are a direct consequence of the failure of the country's leadership to meaningfully engage in peace talks. These attacks will stop once a more sober position is reached.