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☆ Senior Russian lawmakers express concern over Putin's mobilization drive 'excesses'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Amid increasing public anger about Russia's mobilization drive, two of the country's most senior lawmakers ordered regional officials to solve the “excesses” that have stoked protests and seen flocks of military-age men attempt to flee. “Appeals are coming in,” Volodin, speaker of the Duma, Russia’s lower chamber of Parliament, said in a post Sunday. Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in St. Petersburg in April. It said hundreds of people had been detained by police across Russia for protesting against the mobilization and the war. The territory controlled by Russian or Russian-backed forces in the four regions represents about 15% of Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's threat of nuclear weapons use "could be a reality," in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. Zelenskyy said Russia is targeting nuclear power plants in Ukraine, so there could be some truth to Putin's claims. I don't think he's bluffing," Zelenskyy said. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made clear that the United States is taking Putin's nuclear threat seriously. Zelenskyy said Russia is using the war as an excuse to claim that it is being attacked by the West.

As thousands of Russians try to flee the country to escape the partial mobilization of civilians into the military, Ukraine’s president late Friday urged those who are conscripted to “sabotage any enemy activity.”Addressing Ukrainians in Russian-occupied regions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address that his countrymen should “hide” from mobilization and “avoid summons” of military commanders. His comments came three days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists. One woman, 23, said she booked seats on a flight to Kyrgyzstan with her husband, 24, an hour after Putin made his mobilization announcement. NBC News agreed not to name the couple because they fear repercussions by Russian authorities for speaking to foreign media. After crossing into Georgia, he told The Associated Press that he did "not very much like," what Russia was doing in Ukraine.

Russia on Friday launched referendums in four eastern ukrainian regions aimed at annexing territory it has taken by force. Asked if Russia would have grounds for using nuclear weapons to defend annexed regions of Ukraine, Lavrov said Russian territory, including territory "further enshrined" in Russia's constitution in the future, "is under the full protection of the state." Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Lavrov's comments, and Putin's earlier statement when he said he was not bluffing about using nuclear weapons, were "irresponsible" and "absolutely unacceptable." The likely annexation of Ukrainian territory raises the question of how Russia might respond to the use of Western weapons in those regions. Lavrov sought to portray opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine as limited to Washington and countries under its influence.

Friday was the first day of a five-day period of voting in regions after their Russian-installed officials rushed to announce the referendums to join Russia earlier this week. The questions on the ballots will ask voters if their regions should join Russia, the news agency said. If the regions vote to join Russia, Moscow is likely to claim them as part of its territory. With few details laid out in the order, men of fighting age were left with more questions than answers about who exactly could be recruited to serve in Ukraine. Putin’s order seeks to recruit some 300,000 additional troops.

☆ Putin's 'incredibly dangerous' nuclear threats raise the risk of an unprecedented disaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Putin’s threats increase the risk of escalation to a nuclear conflict drastically. Beatrice Fihn, Nobel laureate and executive director of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, urged political leaders to renew efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Beatrice Fihn, Nobel laureate and executive director of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, told CNBC that Putin's "incredibly dangerous and irresponsible" threats drastically increase the risk of escalation to a nuclear conflict. Fihn called for the international community to "unequivocally condemn any and all nuclear threats" and urged political leaders to renew efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 'No going back'Max Hess, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute think tank, described Putin's nuclear threats as a "very significant announcement."

☆ Take Five: Intervention watch is here
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Election results from Italy, euro area inflation numbers and U.S. and Chinese data also give investors plenty to chew over. Japan's authorities finally had enough of a weak yen and intervened to stem a sharp decline against the dollar. Investors have already ramped up expectations for another 75 bps, ECB rate hike in October, so the data shouldn't change the near-term rate outlook. How a new government navigates an energy crunch that is pushing highly-indebted Italy into recession will also be under scrutiny.

☆ Referendums begin in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine; Putin's nuclear ultimatum raises risk of disaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Referendum voting in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine is underway, Russian state media has reported. Western and Ukrainian officials are rebuking them as a sham used by the Kremlin to legitimize Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory, as it did in Crimea in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging Russians to protest against the war. More than 1,300 people across Russia were arrested this week for demonstrating against Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement Wednesday of "partial" military mobilization to send more troops into the war in Ukraine, which he calls a "special military operation." Some security analysts, meanwhile, are sounding the alarm that Putin's threats of using nuclear weapons could risk escalation to a nuclear conflict.

☆ U.S. prepared to impose more costs on Russia over Ukraine referendums
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The United States is prepared to impose additional economic costs on Russia in conjunction with U.S. allies if Moscow moves forward with annexing portions of Ukrainian territory, the White House said on Friday. Russia has been planning what Washington describes as sham referendums in portions of eastern Ukraine in what is seen as a step toward annexing these territories. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine and annexed it in 2014, a move that went unrecognized by the West. "The United States will never recognize Ukrainian territory as anything other than part of Ukraine," he said. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the United States is prepared to level additional economic penalties on Russia, in lockstep with allies, if Moscow attempts to annex more Ukraine territory.

☆ U.N. showdown looms between Lavrov, West over atrocities in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will face off on Thursday with his Ukrainian and Western counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when the United Nations Security Council meets over atrocities committed in Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 as the Security Council met in New York to discuss Western concerns that Moscow was planning such a move. Ukraine, the United States and others have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. The meeting on Thursday will be at least the 20th time the Security Council has met on Ukraine this year. Ukraine’s chief war crimes prosecutor told Reuters last month his office is investigating almost 26,000 suspected war crimes cases committed since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion and has charged 135 people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s renewed nuclear threats has raised fears that his plans for escalation in Ukraine may not be limited to mobilizing more troops. Desperate for a victory, the Russian leader allied his nuclear threats and call-up of reservists to a plan to annex occupied territory in Ukraine’s east and south. “Creating more ‘Russian’ territory is an attempt to scare the West because Russian nuclear doctrine has always maintained that nuclear weapons would only be used in defense of Russia directly. In fact, when Ukraine launched attacks on annexed Crimea this summer, a territory Moscow considers Russian, Putin did not reach for the nuclear button, O’Brien noted. And that victory, Putin hopes, could come through eroding Ukraine’s international support,” Giles said.

☆ Russia's Medvedev: new regions can be defended with strategic nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Konstantin Zavrazhin/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that any weapons in Moscow's arsenal, including strategic nuclear weapons, could be used to defend territories incorporated in Russia from Ukraine. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMedvedev said the protection of all the territories would be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces, adding:"Russia has announced that not only mobilisation capabilities, but also any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used for such protection." If formally admitted to the Russian Federation, the occupied territories, where Ukrainian counteroffensives have gathered pace in recent weeks, will under Moscow's nuclear doctrine be entitled to protection from Russian nuclear weapons. Moscow does not fully control any of the four regions it is expected to try to annex, with only around 60% of Donetsk and 66% of Zaporizhzhia regions held by the Russian army. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Caleb Davis; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a ceremony of receiving letters of credence from newly-appointed foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 20, 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 as the Security Council met in New York to discuss Western concerns that Moscow was planning such a move. read moreUkraine, the United States and others have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. The meeting on Thursday will be at least the 20th time the Security Council has met on Ukraine this year. While it was unlikely Russia's seat at the U.N. Security Council would be left empty during the meeting, it was unclear how long Lavrov might stay in the chamber.

☆ Russia to begin annexation votes in Ukrainian regions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Russia will on Friday begin its plan to annex around 15% of Ukrainian territory via referendums in four regions controlled by Russian forces, a move the West says is a gross violation of international law that significantly escalates the war. Putin, Russia's paramount leader since 1999, said Russia would never abandon those in the regions it controls and whom he said wanted to secede from Kyiv. In a direct nuclear warning to the West, Putin said he would defend Russian territory - and these regions of Ukraine will be considered Russian territory by Moscow shortly - with all means at his disposal. 'SHAM VOTES'It is unclear exactly how the votes will work in a war zone when so many people have been displaced. "As of next week, Russia will consider these Ukrainian territories as being part of Russia, and they will claim any Ukrainian attempts to retake their own sovereign territory as an 'invasion of Russia'," Britain's Cleverly said.

☆ G7 countries agree on unity in Ukraine support -Japan govt
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Ukrainian service members wait in a trench at a position in a frontline, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dmytro SmolienkoTOKYO, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies confirmed in a meeting in New York on Wednesday their cooperation in extending support for Ukraine and responding to food and energy security, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The development came after President Vladimir Putin announced Russia's first wartime mobilisation since World War Two and moves to annex swaths of Ukrainian territory, and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia, New Zealand condemn Putin threats as "unthinkable"
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a news conference on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidSYDNEY/WELLINGTON Sept 22 (Reuters) - Australia and New Zealand condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's escalation of the war in Ukraine, saying his threats to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia were "unthinkable" and exposed his justification for the war as untrue. No sham referendum will make them true," Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said in New York, where she is attending the United Nations General Assembly. "This highlights the falsehood around this war," she told media in New York, where she is attending the United Nations General Assembly. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington.

☆ In Ukraine-Russia war, Putin nuclear threat can't rattle Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis | Daniel L. Davis Is A Senior Fellow For Defense Priorities | A Former Lieutenant Colonel In The Army Who Was Deployed Into Combat Zones Four Times. He Is The Author Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Events unfolding in the Russia-Ukraine war this week represent the most dramatic escalation since the initial invasion in February. But however much we may not like the war, at this point it represents no threat to American national security. If Putin feels too threatened, he could genuinely consider resorting to tactical nuclear weapons. That makes it all the more important for Biden to stay resolved to keep the U.S. footprint in the war small. American national security is not presently at risk from the war between Kyiv and Moscow, and Biden must keep it that way.

The bloc's 27 foreign ministers are in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. He said the ministers would discuss continuing military support for Ukraine and an eighth sanctions package on Russia. "It's clear Russia wants to destroy Ukraine," Borrell said. Wednesday's meeting should emphasize unity, move ahead quickly with a new sanctions package and use the European peace facility funding mechanism to ramp up weapons supplies to Ukraine, he said. Keeping unity among the 27 for a sanctions package may prove complex amid an energy supply crisis that has hit the bloc hard.

☆ Putin's escalation of Russia's war effort in Ukraine is proof he is failing, say US and UK
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK and the US reacted to Putin's speech by saying it points to Russian failure. Ukraine recently repulsed some of Russia's forces, retaking large swathes of territory. Putin announced a mobilization of army reservists towards his war in Ukraine early Wednesday Moscow time, breaking an earlier commitment not to and amping up his warlike rhetoric. He accused parts of the West — which has been supplying weapons and expertise in the defense of Ukraine — of trying to destroy Russia. Putin's threats and broken promises are "an admission his invasion is failing," UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace wrote in a statement moments after the speech.

☆ Reaction to Russia mobilising more troops for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian paratroopers walk before boarding Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes as they take part in the military exercises "Zapad-2021" staged by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus at an aerodrome in Kaliningrad Region, Russia, September 13, 2021. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE"Sham referenda and mobilization are signs of weakness, of Russian failure," Brink said on Twitter. read moreCZECH PRIME MINISTER PETR FIALA"The partial mobilisation declared by V.Putin is an attempt to further escalate the war Russia launched against Ukraine, and it is further proof that Russia is the sole aggressor. "It is needed to help Ukraine, and in our own interest, we must continue with it." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters; Compiled by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian official mocks Russia over its failures after Putin's threatening speech: 'Everything is still according to the plan, right?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A senior Ukrainian official mocked Russia after Putin announced partial military mobilization. British intelligence said recently that expedited training courses at Russian military academies also highlight the Russian military's "manpower challenge." A vote in favor would set the stage for Russia to annex captured Ukrainian territory. "From my perspective, this is simply an information operation that's meant to distract from the difficult state that the Russian military currently finds itself in right now," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. The referendums are slated to take place after weeks of Ukrainian advances and battlefield success along the war's northeastern and southern fronts.

☆ Biden, UK's Truss commit to protect Northern Ireland deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We both are committed to protecting the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. I'm looking forward to hearing what's on your mind and how we can continue to cooperate," Biden told Truss ahead of their talks. As a member of parliament, Truss introduced legislation to undo the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was part of Britain's withdrawal agreement from the European Union. It prioritized protecting the Good Friday Agreement, or Belfast Agreement, for peace in the British-run region. Biden has been insistent that Britain do nothing that could endanger a quarter century of peace in Northern Ireland.

☆ Putin effectively told the world his army is 'losing' in Ukraine by calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists and threatening to use nuclear force
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ex-diplomats and Russia experts said it showed that Russia is losing the war in Ukraine. By comparison, taking control of the Donbas is a far less ambitious goal for Putin than conquering the whole of Ukraine. In his address, Putin threatened the use of nuclear force in the event of a "threat" to the "territorial integrity" of Russia. "Anyone who finds it necessary to say that he's not bluffing most likely is," Daalder said of Putin's latest nuclear threat. Both the US and the UK have indicated that they view Putin's escalation of the Ukraine war as a sign that his invasion is not going well.

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens on Wednesday, a move that threatens to escalate his faltering invasion of Ukraine following a string of defeats that caused recriminations in Moscow. US President Joe Biden condemned the mobilization and the Kremlin’s planned votes, during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. “Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened, but no one threatened Russia – and no one other than Russia sought conflict,” Biden added. A billboard promoting contract army service, with the slogan "Serving Russia is a real job," in St. Petersburg. On Tuesday, Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, amended the law on military service, toughening the punishment for violation of military service duties – such as desertion and evasion from service – according to state news agency TASS.

☆ 'How to leave Russia' Google searches surge in the country as Putin declares partial military mobilization
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google searches for "How to leave Russia" spiked in Russia in the time leading up to his expected address. Putin was expected to announce "martial law" and "mobilization," the latter of which he did Wednesday morning. Before his expected speech on Tuesday, Russian lawmakers had passed legislation around "martial law" and "mobilization," that likely prompted the Google searches. The same search for how to leave Russia spiked in the country in late February and early March as well, after Russia invaded Ukraine. In addition to the spike in Google searches for how to leave the country, demand for plane tickets out of the country have spiked too.

Search resuls for: "Ukrainian Territory"

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