Ukraine: Unclear who sabotaged Nord Stream — Sweden

Sweden's prosecuting authority said on Thursday that it remains unclear who is responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea last year, but that state sponsorship was the "main scenario."

“This concerns a crime whose circumstances are difficult to investigate. The detonations took place 80 meters (262.5 feet) under the water on the ocean floor in the Baltic Sea," said public prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist, who is heading up Sweden's investigation.

Ljungqvist said that "there is no doubt that this is gross sabotage in international waters directed toward infrastructure, whose owner is not connected to Sweden."

"We are working unconditionally and turning over every stone and leaving nothing to chance," Ljungqvist said in a statement.

"Our hope is to be able to confirm who has committed this crime but it should be noted that it likely will be difficult given the circumstances," Lhe said, adding that the current evidence most likely pointed to criminals acting on behalf of a government. 

The Nord Stream pipeline carrying gas from Russia to Germany was damaged in a series of explosions in September. Remnants of explosives were found on the damaged pipeline, according to Swedish authorities.

German authorities have also been probing the incident, with prosecutors last month announcing that a vessel suspected of involvement in the pipeline explosions had been searched.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Thursday, April 6:

Russian prosecutor requests 25 years in jail for Kremlin critic Kara-Murza

Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is being tried on several charges including treason for comments critical of the Ukraine offensive, could be imprisoned for 25 years, his lawyer said. 

"Yes, I confirm... 25 years of imprisonment" were requested by the prosecutors, lawyer Vadim Prokhorov told news agency AFP after a closed hearing.

Putin's longstanding crackdown on leading opposition figures has picked up a gear since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Most Russian opposition figures are in jail or exile. 

Kara-Murza, 41, was accused of high treason, spreading "false" information about the Russian army and being affiliated with an "undesirable organisation" in the high-profile case. 

The activist was affected from a nerve condition called polyneuropathy. His lawyers say the illness was due to two poisoning attempts in 2015 and 2017. 

His condition has deteriorated in prison, and he was too unwell to attend some of his hearings, though Kara-Murza was present on Thursday. 

No sign of Ukrainian forces leaving Bakhmut — Yevgeny Prigozhin

The head of Russian private military company Wagner Group said that Ukrainian forces were not about to abandon the city of Bakhmut.

"It must be said clearly that the enemy is not going anywhere," Yevgeny Prigozhin said on his Telegram channel.

Prigozhin also said he was not satisfied with the support he was receiving from Russian regular forces.

Kyiv's forces have been locked in a fierce battle of attrition for the city — which if captured by Russia — would allow an advance further into the east, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the prospect of a possible withdrawal from the city, and said Kyiv would take the "corresponding" decisions should forces in the city risked being surrounded by Russian troops.

Macron, von der Leyen hope to sway China on Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron had peace in Ukraine top of his agenda during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday in Beijing.

"The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to (international) stability," Macron told Xi, standing alongside the Chinese president outside the Great Hall of the People ahead of their meeting, "I know I can count on you to bring back Russia to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table."

In a joint statement following the talks, the two leaders reaffirmed their call for peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow "as soon as possible."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was also in China and was expected to press the Chinese president on his ties with Russia.

While China has called for a peaceful resolution to the war, it has steered clear of condemning Russia's invasion of its neighbor.

Last month,Xi visited Moscow and held prolonged talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders celebrated their "close ties."

Xi has so far not even had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Moscow defends move to station nuclear arms in Belarus

Russia has rejected NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's criticism of its move to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was NATO that was expanding toward Russia that led Moscow to take measures to defend its territory.

On Wednesday, Stoltenberg said that Moscow's move went against a recent joint Russian-Chinese statement stipulating that countries should not deploy nuclear weapons outside their borders.

"It is NATO that is expanding toward Russia, not Russia that is taking its military infrastructure towards the borders of NATO," Peskov told reporters in response to a question about Stoltenberg's remarks.

Senior Russian commander likely to have been dismissed — UK intelligence

Britain's Ministry of Defence (MOD) has supported claims on social media that the commander of the Eastern Group of Forces (EGF), Colonel-General Rustam Muradov, has been dismissed.

The MOD said that the Russian forces under Muradov had suffered "exceptionally heavy casualties" over the past few months, and that "poorly conceived assaults repeatedly failed to capture the Donetsk Oblast town of Vuhledar."

These failings had attracted intense criticism, the MOD said in its daily intelligence briefing.

The MOD pointed out that Muradov had taken command of the EGF following the failed assault on Kyiv during the initial stages of Russia's invasion. It said that Muradov was the most senior military dismissal of 2023 thus far, and said it anticipated more dismissals due to failure to achieve objectives in Donbas. 

Russian girl who drew anti-war picture leaves orphanage — report

Maria Moskalyov, A Russian girl who was sent to an orphanage after drawing an anti-war picture, has left the facility with her estranged mother, according to a Reuters news agency report.

The girl's father was convicted for discrediting Russia's armed forces and sentenced to two year's jail time, after authorities introduced severe punishment for people found guilty of discrediting the armed forces.

As a result of the girl's father's conviction and sentence, and her not having lived with her mother for the past seven years, she was then taken to the children's home.

Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova said she had spoken to the girl and to her mother.

"[Maria] did not want to go to her mother at first, and her opinion is legally required to be taken into account. Now her position has changed — she told me this herself on the phone," Lvova-Belova said.

"Olga has already taken Masha from the social rehabilitation center," she said. "Let's hope that everything will work out for mom and daughter."

kb/es (Reuters,dpa, AFP)