Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Danish police said a preliminary investigation found that “powerful explosions” on two Russian gas pipelines sent gas spewing into the Baltic Sea.

The findings appeared to be similar to a crime scene investigation carried out by Sweden’s national security service earlier this month, which reinforced suspicions of “gross sabotage.”

A flurry of detonations on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on Sept. 26 caused what might be the single largest release of methane in history. The explosions triggered four gas leaks at four locations — two in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone.

Danish police said it was not possible to say when the investigation was likely to be completed.

— Sam Meredith

Air strikes have been reported in several Ukrainian cities, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accuse Russia of terrorizing and killing civilians.

Zelenskyy said via Telegram that one person had been killed in a missile strike on a residential building in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.

“Ukraine is under fire by the occupiers. They continue to do what they do best – terrorize and kill civilians,” Zelenskyy said, according to Reuters. “The terrorist state will not change anything for itself with such actions. It will only confirm its destructive and murderous essence, for which it will certainly be held to account.”

Meanwhile, Maria Avdeeva, a security analyst from Kharkiv, described the latest barrage of air strikes as a “massive attack on energy infrastructure facilities.”

Avdeeva reported three strikes on an energy facility in the Desnyansky district of Kyiv, two strikes at an energy infrastructure facility in Dnipro in central Ukraine and no electricity or water supplies in Zhytomyr in the north.

CNBC has not been able to independently verify this report.

— Sam Meredith

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the country’s forces to take more Russian prisoners in order to help free more Ukrainian troops.

His comments come shortly after Kyiv and Moscow carried out the largest prisoner swap of the war to date, exchanging a total of 218 detainees, including 108 Ukrainian women.

“I am grateful to all involved for this success, and I also thank all those who replenish our exchange fund, who ensure the capture of enemies,” Zelenskyy said during his evening address to the nation.

“The more Russian prisoners we have, the sooner we will be able to free our heroes. Every Ukrainian warrior, every frontline commander should remember this,” he added.

— Sam Meredith

A senior Russian health official said 13 people were killed after a Russian fighter plane crashed into a nine-story residential building in the southern Russian town of Yeysk, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

Videos and images published on social media on Monday showed a large fireball erupting from a residential building in the resort town, near the border with Ukraine.

Alexei Kuznetsov, Russian assistant health minister, told the news agency that 13 people had died as a result of the crash, including three children.

— Sam Meredith

The European Union approved a military training mission in Europe for thousands of Ukrainian troops and to provide around 500 million euros ($486 million) in extra funds to help buy weapons for the war-torn country.

The mission, which will have a headquarters in Brussels and be under the command of French naval officer Vice Adm. Herve Blejean, will initially run for two years with a budget of almost 107 million euros ($104 million).

EU headquarters said in a statement that the mission’s aim is to allow the Ukrainian armed forces to “effectively conduct military operations,” so that Ukraine can “defend its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, effectively exercise its sovereignty and protect civilians.”

It said that the EU will provide “individual, collective and specialized training.” Countries that aren’t part of the bloc will be allowed to take part in the training effort. The aim initially is to train about 15,000 Ukrainian troops, chiefly in Poland and Germany

— Associated Press

Russia’s monthslong war in Ukraine coupled with rising inflation has pushed more of the world’s children into poverty, according to a new report by UNICEF.

UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, says an additional four million children across eastern Europe and Central Asia have been pushed into poverty, a 19% increase since 2021. 

“Beyond the obvious horrors of war – the killing and maiming of children, mass displacement – the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine are having a devastating impact on children across eastern Europe and Central Asia,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia.

“Children all over the region are being swept up in this war’s terrible wake. If we don’t support these children and families now, the steep rise in child poverty will almost certainly result in lost lives, lost learning, and lost futures,” Khan added.

— Amanda Macias

Moscow and Kyiv carried out one of the biggest prisoner swaps of the war so far, exchanging a total of 218 detainees, including 108 Ukrainian women, officials from both sides said.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s staff, said there were 12 civilians among the freed women.

“It was the first completely female exchange,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding that 37 of the women had been captured after Russian forces took the giant Azovstal steelworks in the port city of Mariupol in May.

Separately, Ukraine’s interior ministry said some of the women had been in jail since 2019 after being detained by pro-Moscow authorities in eastern regions. Earlier, the Russian-appointed head of one of the regions said Kyiv was freeing 80 civilian sailors and 30 military personnel.