Vladimir Putin will make his first public appearance today since so-called referendums were held in four occupied Ukrainian territories, in which he will declare the regions are now joining the Russian Federation.
Preparations have been made at Moscow’s Red Square for a grand ceremony with a stage, giant video screens and billboards which read “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia”, proclaiming the inclusion of these regions into Russian territory.
The Russian president is also expected to give a speech today after meeting the Moscow-backed leaders of the four regions.
The move by the Kremlin comes despite several warnings from world leaders who say they will never recognise the voting exercise and dismissed it as illegal and a “sham”. The UN chief Antonio Guterres has said Russia’s decision to proceed with the annexations holds no legal value and “deserves to be condemned”.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the annexation of 15 per cent of Ukraine can still be stopped.
“But to stop it we have to stop that person in Russia who wants war more than life,” he said, referring to Mr Putin.
Key Points
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Putin recognises independence of two Ukrainian regions
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43 Russian soldiers killed, two fighter jets downed – Ukraine
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Putin to deliver major speech today after claiming four Ukrainian regions
Missiles strike civilian convoy in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia city
07:32 , Arpan Rai
Russian missiles have struck a convoy of civilians near the Ukrainian city Zaporizhzhia early today, officials said.
Casualties have been reported from the missile attack, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said, adding that Russia targeted the besieged city’s outskirts.
“There are dead and wounded, rescuers are operating,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Too soon to say who caused Nord Stream pipeline ruptures – Pentagon
07:08 , Arpan Rai
It is too soon to speculate who could have caused the Nord Stream pipeline ruptures, the US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said.
“In terms of the attack – or the damage to the pipeline, at this point I think there’s a lot of speculation. But quite frankly, until a complete investigation is done, no one will be able to really determine for certain what happened,” the top Pentagon official said on Thursday.
He added that the incident has been discussed with Denmark.
“Until we get further information, or are able to do further analysis, we won’t speculate on who may have been responsible,” Mr Austin said.
Medical training, first-aid for Russian soldiers in Ukraine poor – MoD
06:40 , Arpan Rai
Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine by Moscow are facing deteriorating medical provision and their first-aid awareness is likely poor, the British defence ministry said today.
“Medical provision for Russian combat troops in Ukraine is probably growing worse. Some newly mobilised Russian reservists have been ordered to source their own combat first aid supplies, with the advice that female sanitary products are a cost-effective solution,” the ministry said, referring to reports where Russian men have been asked to use tampons for treating bullet wounds.
Medical training and first-aid awareness is likely poor, the ministry said in its latest intelligence update on the Ukraine war.
“Some Russia troops have obtained their own modern, Western-style combat tourniquets but have stowed them on their equipment using cable-ties, rather than with the Velcro provided – probably because such equipment is scarce and liable to be pilfered,” it added.
This is “almost certain to hamper or render impossible the timely application of tourniquet care in the case of catastrophic bleeding on the battlefield”.
Faced with poor medical provision, the Russian troops’s lack of confidence in the aid “is almost certainly contributing to a declining state of morale and a lack of willingness to undertake offensive operations in many units in Ukraine.”
Russia will annex itself to catastrophe – Zelensky
05:58 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has renounced Russia’s “attempted annexation” and said it will fill the occupied territory with graves.
“Everyone in the world understands well what such an attempted annexation would actually mean. It will not mean what the Kremlin hopes for,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
The wartime president added: “Russia will not get a new territory of Ukraine. Russia will annex itself to the catastrophe that it has brought to the occupied territory of our country.
“Russia will equate itself with the so-called ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’, and will completely finish off those institutions of normal statehood that still remained in Russia.”
Russia will fill the occupied territory of Ukraine with graves, he said, and added that: “There are more and more graves on the territory of Russia itself.
“The occupier sets up torture chambers in the occupied territory – and will fill the entire territory of Russia with torture chambers.
This is the only way the Russian police and Russian special services will work now,” he said.
43 Russian soldiers killed, two fighter jets downed – Ukraine
05:38 , Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian army says it attacked the Russian command post in Kherson’s Beryslavsky district and destroyed the drone control point in Davydiv Brid in the same region on Thursday.
At least 43 Russian soldiers have been killed in the last 24 hours, the southern operational command of the Ukrainian military said.
It added four tanks, four Msta-B and Msta-S howitzers, two self-propelled Hyacinth-S guns and 2 two Grad missile launchers were also destroyed in the military offensive.
Two Russian Su-25 fighter jets were downed in Mykolaiv oblast, the Ukrainian military said.
Putin to deliver major speech today after claiming four Ukrainian regions
05:27 , Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin is expected to host a ceremony today at Moscow’s Red Square announcing the annexation of four regions of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin would deliver an address at the Square and that the annexation of the four areas would be formalised at the ceremony.
The Russian president has warned the world against attacking these regions and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend them.
He will also meet leaders of the self-styled and Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) as well as the Russian-installed leaders of the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that Russian forces occupy.
It is not clear if Mr Putin will attend the Red Square concert, as he did a similar event in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region.
Putin recognises independence of two Ukrainian regions
05:03 , Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin recognised the “independence” of two occupied Ukrainian regions – Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – late last night.
The presidential decree, which is a precursor to annexing the regions into the Russian Federation, read: “I order the recognition of the state sovereignty and independence” of the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, located in southern Ukraine, reported AFP.
The other two regions that will be annexed by Russia today – Donetsk and Luhansk – were already recognised by Moscow as “independent” from Ukraine several weeks ago.
04:32 , Arpan Rai
Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Friday, 30 September.
