Ukraine war round-up: Pipeline sabotage suspected and the battle for Kherson

Mystery surrounds what exactly caused explosions and leaks at key pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

The EU suspects sabotage, with European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen promising the "strongest possible response" if the attack is proven to be deliberate.

The leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were discovered this week.

While neither pipeline was operating at the time, both were still full of gas, which bubbled to the surface in an area a kilometre wide on the sea's surface.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed speculation Russia might be behind the attacks as "predictable, stupid and absurd".

It has instead called on the US to say whether it was involved - a demand Washington called ridiculous.

Meanwhile Norway has decided to deploy its military to protect crucial infrastructure, while Danish and Swedish authorities have formally announced investigations.

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EU vows sanctions over referendums
Russia seems set to annex Ukrainian territory that voted in self-styled referendums. One consequence is likely to be further sanctions from the West.

The European Commission has proposed an eighth round of sanctions against Russia. The latest measures would look to ban Russian exports worth $7 billion (£6.4 billion) and tighten restrictions on goods flowing from the EU that could help Russia's war machine.

The EU's executive has also proposed a price cap on Russian oil aimed at limiting how much third countries, such as China and India, pay for Russian crude.

And it plans to expand its travel blacklist and asset freezes to include high-ranking Russian defence officials and organisers of the widely derided referendums.