The audio reveals on Friday that Vladimir Putin is annexing four areas of Ukraine controlled by Russia
An attack by Ukraine on the annexed regions would be considered an attack on Russia, the Kremlin said as it prepared to seize chunks of its neighboring country.
Vladimir Putin will officially declare parts of southern and eastern Ukraine as Russian territory on Friday amid international outcry over the move.
Western leaders have said such an annexation would be illegal and would not recognize the four regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – as part of Russia.
Referendums were held last week on whether these Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine should be part of the territory. They were considered a farce by Ukraine and Western allies.
Putin will give a speech and host a ceremony for the annexation that will become official in Russia on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Zaporizhzhia, at least 25 people have been killed and 50 injured in a Russian missile attack on a humanitarian convoy.
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Attacking the annexed regions would be an attack on Russia, the Kremlin says
The Kremlin has warned that it would consider an attack by Ukraine on the regions to be annexed as an attack on Russia itself.
“It wouldn’t be anything else,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
It came as Ukraine and the West refused to recognize the annexation of four Ukrainian regions that was due on Friday.
Dmitry Peskov says that Russia would consider an attack on the annexed regions as an attack on Russia itself
(via REUTERS)
Zoe Tidman September 30, 2022 11:49 am
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Finland closes the border to Russians with tourist visas
Finland’s border with Russia has been closed to Russians on tourist visas, restricting one of the last easy access routes to Europe for Russians trying to escape military mobilization.
Long queues were reported until midnight at the border crossings.
Among the last to enter Finland were two cyclists who arrived shortly before 11pm, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE.
Zoe Tidman September 30, 2022 11:30 am
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Death toll rises in convoy strike
The death toll from the Russian attack on a civilian convoy in southern Ukraine has reportedly risen.
The attorney general’s office said 25 people were killed and 50 wounded in the attack in Zaporizhzhia.
Zoe Tidman September 30, 2022 10:53 am
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Full story: Putin has decided to formally annex four regions today
Vladimir Putin will formally announce the annexation of four regions of Ukraine as Western leaders insist they will refuse to consider them part of Russian territory.
He is expected to declare on Friday that Russia has absorbed swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine after referendums deemed a sham by Kyiv and beyond.
Putin will formally annex regions of Ukraine as the West vows never to recognize the move
“Putin cannot be allowed to alter international borders through brute force,” says UK PM
Zoe Tidman September 30, 2022 10:30 am
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Footage of the deadly Russian attack on a civilian convoy
Footage is now emerging of the deadly Russian attack on a civilian convoy in southeastern Ukraine.
At least 23 people were killed in the attack on vehicles in Zaporizhzhia, which will be officially declared part of Russia later today.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said four Russian missiles hit a car market and an area where civilians had gathered as they were leaving to pick up relatives.
A police officer covers stands next to a van damaged by the Russian missile attack
(REUTERS)
At least 23 were killed in the attack in southeastern Ukraine
(REUTERS)
Russian missile strike shocks crater hitting convoy of civilian vehicles in Ukraine
(REUTERS)
Zoe Tidman 30 September 2022 09:56
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Annexation ‘breach of international law’, UK PM says
Liz Truss has accused Vladimir Putin of breaking international law as the Russian president plans to formally annex four regions of Ukraine.
In a statement, the prime minister said: “Vladimir Putin has once again acted in violation of international law with a clear disregard for the lives of the Ukrainian people he claims to represent.
“The UK will never ignore the sovereign will of these people and we will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory.
“Putin cannot be allowed to alter international borders through brute force. We will make sure he loses this illegal war.”
(AP)
Zoe Tidman 30 September 2022 09:37
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“We’re just telling you we have nuclear weapons,” says one Russian politician
Evgeny Popov also outlined what he sees as Russia’s approach to nuclear weapons.
“We are not threatening anyone with our nuclear weapon. We are just telling you that we have nuclear weapons,” he stated.
The member for Dumas said that Russia would not use them first, but only in response to a nuclear attack on its territory.
“Using the nuclear weapon in the 21st century is a crazy decision. We are not crazy,” Popov said.
Zoe Tidman 30 September 2022 09:18
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Russia “must defend” the people of Donbass, says a Putin supporter
Evgeny Popov, a Putin supporter and member of the Russian Dumas, has just been on Sky News talking about the annexation and war in Ukraine.
Asked about Western leaders’ warnings that the annexation would be illegal, Popov said it was considered “legal for Russia” and asserted that his country “must defend” the people of Donbas. “They have been living under Ukrainian bombing for eight years,” he said.
The politician was also asked about reports of Russians fleeing the country after being called up for military service. “Yes, some people are fleeing Russia. But now many more people, a hundred thousand people, are joining the army,” he told Sky News.
The Putin supporter claimed the annexation was “legal” for Russia
(Sky News)
Zoe Tidman 30 September 2022 09:02
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“Serving in Russia is a real job,” says the St. Petersburg billboard
Here is a picture of St. Petersburg today. The billboard bears the slogan: “Serving in Russia is a real job.”
Young people walk past the billboard in the Russian city
(AFP via Getty Images)
Zoe Tidman September 30, 2022 8:43 am
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ICYMI: Russian war dead have their sins forgiven, says Russian Orthodox Church
Russian soldiers who die in the line of duty in Ukraine have all their sins forgiven, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church proclaimed in a sermon, comparing their sacrificial death to that of Jesus.
Here’s a reminder of what happened earlier this week:
Patriarch of Moscow: The sins of the Russian war dead are forgiven
Patriarch of Russian Orthodox Church says Russian soldiers who die in the line of duty in Ukraine have all their sins forgiven
Zoe Tidman September 30, 2022 8:25 am