Updated on 09/28/2022, 23:00
- For Ukraine, the occupied territories remain “sovereign” after the sham referendums, but more weapons are needed for the reconquest.
- Meanwhile, the mass exodus towards Georgia continues, but transit is made more difficult.
- The situation at a glance.
the Ukraine has condemned the Russian sham referendums in the occupied eastern and southern parts of its own country and has demanded weapons from the West for the reconquest of the areas. The four affected regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson remain “sovereign territories of Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said in Kyiv.
Military support must also be increased; among other things, tanks, combat aircraft and anti-missile defense are needed. Kyiv also called for further sanctions Russia – put forward a proposal for another package EU Commission in Brussels.
The package contains, among other things, the legal basis for a price cap for oil imports from Russia and other import restrictions worth seven billion euros, said the head of the commission
After the sham referendums in four Russian-held regions of Ukraine, the leaders of the pro-Russian separatists have asked Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for the annexation of these areas. In the “referendums” overwhelming majorities are said to have spoken out in favor of joining Russia. Western politicians see the voting as illegal.
Gas leaks at Nord Stream 1 and 2 classified as acts of sabotage
Because of the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines – which the West believes could be the result of an act of sabotage – the EU also with further sanctions beyond the package mentioned. However, it is still unclear who is responsible for the leaks. The Kremlin dismissed allegations, for example from Ukraine, as “stupid and absurd”.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. From Friday to Tuesday let Kremlin boss
Kremlin: Russia still wants to conquer whole Donetsk region
Moscow wants to continue conquering Ukrainian territory after the sham referendums. The conquest of the entire Donetsk region is the minimum goal, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. So far, Russian troops and separatist groups have controlled around 58 percent of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
However, Russian troops seem to be threatened with encirclement around the small town of Lyman in Donetsk: Russian war reporters reported on Wednesday about successful Ukrainian advances north-east and east of Lyman. Should the settlement of Torske be recaptured, the Russians are threatened with a blockade of the connecting routes from Lyman to Kreminna and Swatowe in the Luhansk region. The streets are already under fire from Ukrainian artillery.
Scholz promised Selenskyj ongoing help in a phone call
Chancellor
US Embassy Warns Dual Citizens in Russia Over Mobilization
The USA has again asked its citizens to leave Russia – the reason for this is the partial mobilization. The US embassy in Moscow warned that Russia could prevent people with US and Russian citizenship from leaving the country and conscripting them into military service. A week ago, Putin ordered a partial mobilization of his army. Since then, there has been panic in many parts of Russia as men across the country are being drafted into the war against Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Russians have already fled abroad.
Because of mass exodus: Russian border region makes transit difficult
the on Georgia entry restrictions imposed by the bordering Russian republic of North Ossetia in the Caucasus. By decree he made it difficult for cars to drive through from other Russian regions in the direction of Georgia, wrote the head of the republic Sergei Menjajlo on Telegram. “In the past two days alone, more than 20,000 people have traveled to Georgia via our border section,” Menjajlo explained. You will not be able to ensure order and security if the refugee movement continues to increase.
Russian intelligence reports arrest of Ukrainian spy
In the Russian capital of Moscow, intelligence FSB says it has arrested a Ukrainian spy. The suspect was “a Ukrainian citizen, he was an agent of the SBU (Ukrainian secret service) and in the spring of 2022 he was given the task of collecting data on Russian military technology on Russian territory,” the state news agency TASS reported, citing FSB circles. A Moscow court has already ordered custody of the man.
Pipeline leaks: Moscow is investigating international terrorism
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office opened an international terrorism case over the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. “No later than September 26, 2022, intentional actions to damage the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines laid on the Baltic Sea floor were committed in the Bornholm area,” the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said on its Telegram channel. Moscow justified the step by saying that the damage to the pipelines had “inflicted considerable economic damage on Russia”.
US pledges 18 more multiple rocket launchers to Kyiv
The US government has announced additional arms sales to Ukraine worth US$1.1 billion (€1.14 billion). The package would give Kyiv 18 more Himars multiple rocket launchers, “which Ukraine has used so effectively on the battlefield,” said Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
In addition, Ukraine is to receive, among other things, the associated ammunition, 150 armored vehicles and anti-drone systems, as the Ministry of Defense said. The weapons and systems should not come directly from the stocks of the US military, but should first be bought from industry for Ukraine, it said. It is about the medium and long-term equipment of the Ukrainian military. (dpa/cgo)