Donetsk

Moscow-installed officials in occupied Ukrainian regions appeal to President Vladimir Putin for incorporation into Russia following annexation votes.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said that the “special military operation” in Ukraine must continue until Russia takes full control of east Ukraine's Donetsk.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the military campaign in Ukraine would continue “at a minimum” until the “liberation” of the “Donetsk People’s Republic,” referring to the region’s Russian-backed administration. Russia has framed its military campaign in Ukraine as necessary to protect Russian-speakers in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, of which Donetsk makes up half, from “genocide” by Ukraine. The Kremlin on Wednesday said that the “special military operation” in Ukraine must continue until Russia takes full control of east Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

In the town of Mykolaivka, Donetsk region, rescuers recovered the body of a woman from the rubble of a school partially destroyed by Russian shelling.

"Upon arrival, it was established that the first to third floors of the three-story building of school No.1 were partially destroyed as a result of shelling (according to preliminary data, rocket attack). As a result of emergency and rescue operations, the body of a dead woman born in 1959 was removed from the rubble," the State Emergency Service of Ukraine posted on In the town of Mykolaivka, Donetsk region, rescuers recovered the body of a woman from the rubble of a school partially destroyed by Russian shelling.

All the latest headlines as UN reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine's 'territorial integrity' and EU probes gas pipeline leaks.

"Ukraine calls on the EU, NATO and the Group of Seven to immediately and significantly increase pressure on Russia, including by imposing new tough sanctions, and significantly increase their military aid to Ukraine," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement. · Kyiv called on the West to "significantly" increase its military aid to Ukraine after pro-Kremlin authorities in four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine declared victory in referendum votes. "You know that you can count on our loyal support for the cause of freedom of Ukrainian people. · Ukraine can count on the support of Italy's new government, far-right leader Giorgia Meloni said in a message to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response," he warned in a statement. · Hackings, network sabotage and other cyber warfare campaigns are being intensely deployed by both Russia and Ukraine. · The UN reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine's "territorial integrity." · The Kremlin said that the "special military operation" in Ukraine must continue until Russia takes full control of east Ukraine's Donetsk region. · Türkiye's booming wartime trade with Moscow took a giant step back with confirmation that the last three banks still processing Russian payments were pulling out under pressure from Washington. · China told the United Nations Security Council "territorial integrity" should be respected. Kharkiv governor Oleg Synegubov said Russian forces had fired S-300 missiles, designed as an anti-aircraft weapon but now often re-purposed to hit civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities. Kyiv called on the West to "significantly" increase its military aid to Ukraine after pro-Kremlin authorities in four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine declared victory in annexation votes.

Russia says it is going to keep up its underway military operation in Ukraine until liberation of the entire eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Kremlin ...

"You know, not all the territory of the DPR has been liberated yet. According to the foursome regions' officials, 99.23 of the voters in Donetsk, 98.42 percent in Luhansk, 87.05 percent in Kherson, and around 93 percent of residents in Zaporizhzhia have approved of their regions' integration into Russia. Russia says it is going to keep up its underway military operation in Ukraine until liberation of the entire eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday its "special military operation" in Ukraine must continue at least until the capture of all of east Ukraine's Donetsk region.

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The head of the regional electoral committee Galina Katyushchenko, declared that 93.11% of voters supported reunification with Russia, as 100% of ballots have ...

The Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Donetsk and Lugansk People' Republics have gathered in Moscow to make a historic decision. Very soon we will become new constituent members of the Russian Federation," Stremousov wrote. [referenda on the accession](https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lpr-dpr-kherson-and-zaporozhye-vote-for-reunification-with-r) of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to the country, were released by Moscow. In the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), 98.42% of voters backed accession to Russia, as per the head of the regional electoral committee, Elena Kravchenko. This, of course, is already history, but with a happy end. The leaders of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) have arrived in Moscow "to make a historic decision," announced Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Kherson administration.

The "minimum goal" of Russia after the annexation of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia is the complete liberation of the entire territory of the ...

[» Day 218 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Half of the Nord Stream Gas Leaked into the Baltic Sea](articles/216901/Day+218+of+the+Invasion+of+Ukraine%3A+Half+of+the+Nord+Stream+Gas+Leaked+into+the+Baltic+Sea) [» Day 217 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Putin Plans New Offensive, Zelensky wants Russia out of All Int. [Ukraine](articles/category/153/Ukraine) [» Be a reporter: Write and send your article](reporter) [Expats.bg All Are Welcome! [Novinite.bg](https://www.novinite.bg/) In short - a second heavy defeat for the Russian army within a month after the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region. [Novinite.com](https://www.novinite.com/) on Therefore, it is necessary, as a minimum, to liberate the entire territory of the Donetsk People's Republic," he explained.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia on Friday will formally annex parts of Ukraine where separation “referendums” received approval, the Kremlin's spokesman said, ...

In response, tens of thousands of Russian men have left the country. “The better off and well educated are over-represented amongst those attempting to leave Russia,” the British said. “This is the opposite of free and fair elections,” Baerbock said. Ukraine’s supporters in the West have described the stage-managed referendums on living under Russian rule as a bald-faced land grab based on lies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting of the National Security and Defense Council for Friday, apparently in response to the Russian move. Peskov said the pro-Moscow administrators of those regions would sign treaties to join Russia during the ceremony at the Kremlin’s St.

Moscow was poised on Wednesday to annex a swath of Ukraine, releasing what it called vote tallies showing support in four partially occupied provinces to ...

Russian forces had shelled dozens of towns along the length of the front line, it said in a Facebook post. The United States believes it is too soon to conclude there was sabotage, a senior U.S. The announcement brings the U.S. Putin altered his strategy following a stunning setback for Russian forces in the northeastern region of Kharkiv earlier in September, when Ukrainian troops recaptured dozens of towns and villages. The Russian annexation plan gathered pace as leaking gas bubbled up in the Baltic Sea for a third day after suspected explosions tore through undersea pipelines built by Russia and European partners. [protect critical infrastructure](/business/energy/mystery-gas-leaks-hit-major-russian-undersea-gas-pipelines-europe-2022-09-27/) from what they called "sabotage", though officials stopped short of assigning blame. The referendums and notion of annexations has been rejected globally, as was Russia's 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would need to keep fighting until it had taken control of all of Donetsk. Meanwhile, the United States unveiled a $1.1 billion weapons package for Ukraine that includes 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, accompanying munitions, various types of counter drone systems and radar systems. Footage filmed during the exercise showed Russian-installed officials taking ballot boxes from house to house with armed men in tow. Nobody voted in the referendum except a few people who switched sides. "They can announce anything they want.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a signing ceremony Friday to formally annex four Moscow-occupied areas of Ukraine, the Kremlin said Thursday, ...

[here](https://www.axios.com/signup/codebook). Embassy in Moscow warned [in a security alert](https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-for-u-s-citizens-in-russia/) Wednesday. urges citizens in Russia to leave "immediately" amid mobilization efforts](/2022/09/28/us-alert-citizen-russia-mobilization) embassy has warned citizens in Russia to leave the country since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, the alert warns that dual U.S.-Russian citizens may be subject to the new draft. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield [said](https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1wzmvn1ie) Tuesday. [state media reported](https://tass.ru/politika/15888139) Tuesday that large majorities in the areas either fully or partially controlled by Moscow voted in favor of joining Russia. - A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council tells Axios that it will coordinate closely with NATO allies and the private sector to strengthen their ability to fight Russian attacks. [not the first time](https://www.axios.com/2022/02/27/us-embassy-americans-russia) the U.S. What they're saying: "With a few exceptions, we have not seen the scaled, serious attacks we expected even before the war began," says John Hultquist, vice president of intelligence analysis at Mandiant. Why it matters: U.S. ["sham" referendums](https://www.axios.com/2022/07/19/putin-russia-annex-ukraine-kherson-donetsk-luhansk) in four occupied regions of Ukraine, U.S. [staged referendums](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/28/russia-ukraine-referendum-sham-results-putin-un) in the regions that were widely condemned by Western governments as a "sham."

Russia vowed to go ahead with the annexation of the parts of Ukraine that its troops currently control after UN-condemned votes, putting the Kremlin on a ...

In the absence of military victories, experts say that Russia is annexing Ukrainian territory to undermine Western support for Kyiv.

[seemingly pliant](https://time.com/6208238/why-russian-support-for-the-war-in-ukraine-hasnt-wavered/) as Russia, where vocally opposing the war (let alone [calling it a war](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-introduce-jail-terms-spreading-fake-information-about-army-2022-03-04/)) is a risk. By annexing parts of Ukraine, and expanding the territories that Russia sees itself as obliged to defend, Putin is gambling that the world will see him as a leader with nothing to lose—and therefore not to be messed with. Many potential conscripts are now trying to [flee the country](https://time.com/6217096/russia-exodus-mobilization-protests/) in an effort to dodge the draft. [dramatic counteroffensive](https://time.com/6216213/ukraine-military-valeriy-zaluzhny/) in early September in the country’s north- and south-east, which saw Kyiv wrest dozens of towns and cities back from Moscow’s control as Russian soldiers fled in retreat, was a major recent setback. But by annexing Ukrainian territory, Putin is giving himself further justification for the mobilization—one that not only supports the continued invasion of Ukraine, but also defends Russia’s newly acquired sovereign territory. The move prompted an immediate backlash among ordinary Russians, [thousands of whom](https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/sep/25/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates-shelling-hits-south-ukraine-lavrov-offers-full-protection-for-any-annexed-territory) have been arrested in protests. and European allies, in addition to [other countries](https://twitter.com/StateDeptSpox/status/1575241801488773120?s=20&t=klZMNpIHzBFDRy2iyoDyJw), have pledged that they will not recognize the decision. In the absence of military victories, the Russian President appears to be resorting to territorial gains via sham electoral contests instead. [meet with appointed ministers](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/09/29/russia-ukraine-war-news-latest-nord-stream-gas-putin/) of the four annexed regions. “The purpose of it is essentially to sow doubt,” says Roger Moorhouse, a British historian specializing in German and Central European history, “and to give Russia’s supporters, both abroad and at home, something to defend, even to themselves.” [coercive methods](https://twitter.com/maksymeristavi/status/1573356436091969536?s=20&t=8H9hNqLgvax05do-H9d7ow) used to carry them out—hardly came as a surprise. The decision amounts to a land grab of approximately 35,000 sq.

President Putin will incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia into Russia at a ceremony in Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin says. Russian President ...

“There is preparation for a big public celebration in Moscow’s Red Square … Moscow-backed local officials claimed residents had overwhelmingly voted in favour of joining Russia. President Putin will incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia into Russia at a ceremony in Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to sign formal documents proclaiming Russia's annexation of four occupied Ukrainian regions, as Moscow faces its ...

The Kremlin did not officially Ukraine’s troops are gradually encircling the town of Lyman, Russia’s main remaining bastion in the northern part of Donetsk province, whose fall could open the way for Ukrainian attacks on swathes of territory that Russia now aims to annex. Russian government officials have said that the four regions will fall under Moscow’s nuclear umbrella once they have been formally incorporated into Russia. [full-scale invasion of Ukraine](/news/2022/2/24/russia-putin-shatters-peace-europe-ukraine-invasion) in February 2022, its proxies also controlled parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. [Analysts](/news/2022/9/29/referendums-sign-russia-will-continues-offensive-analysts) say the move is meant to show the West that Russia has no intention of backing down from its political and military objectives in its invasion of Ukraine, despite recent [military setbacks](/news/2022/9/21/russia-reacts-to-ukraine-success-mobilisation-polls-and-threats) in the northeast. [referendums](/news/2022/9/20/russia-unfolds-annexation-plan-for-ukraine) widely condemned by Kyiv and the West as a “sham”.

Russia will on Friday begin formally annexing up to 18% of Ukrainian territory, with President Vladimir Putin expected to host a ceremony in the Kremlin to ...

A location of Oschadbank, a state-owned bank, is seen in Kyiv on February 15. Ambassadors of European countries lay roses at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv on February 16. They say the red doors are a symbol of the doors that were kicked in to search and arrest Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority. Mourners gather at a church in Kyiv on February 22 for the funeral of Ukrainian Army Capt. in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on February 24. is held in New York to discuss the crisis on February 23. The city in southeastern Ukraine has been A mother cares for her two infant sons in the underground shelter of a maternity hospital in Kyiv on March 3. A member of the Ukrainian military gives instructions to civilians in Irpin on March 4. Speaking from a stage in front of a banner that read "for a world without Nazism," Putin said Russia "will definitely implement all our plans" in Ukraine. Ukrainian serviceman and emergency workers carry the body of a Russian soldier into a refrigerated train in Kharkiv on May 5. An apartment building in the Shevchenkivskiy district of Kyiv, Ukraine, is damaged during a Russian airstrike, on June 26.

Russia's plan to annex four occupied regions in Ukraine would be an illegal move, a violation of international law, and should be condemned, ...

“It is high time to step back from the brink. “It flouts the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. “Any decision by Russia to go forward will further jeopardize the prospects for peace. “The Charter is clear. It must not be accepted.” The move “cannot be reconciled with the international legal framework “and “stands against everything the international community is meant to stand for,” he added.

Russia's Vladimir Putin will sign a treaty annexing parts of Ukraine on Friday, as separatist leaders arrive in Moscow and investigations into Nord Stream ...

[said](https://t.me/s/dnipropetrovskaODA)the attack occurred around 8 a.m. [said](https://t.me/vv_volodin/305)on Telegram. [said](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-says-nord-stream-leaks-occurred-zone-controlled-by-us-intelligence-2022-09-29/)Thursday that the leaks occurred in the trade and economic zones of “NATO-centric countries” that are completely “controlled by the U.S. defense official told reporters](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/28/himars-ukraine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_27)Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon. He is accused of using an intermediary to facilitate the $3 million sale of a music studio in California while under sanctions from the United States. NATO [said](https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_207733.htm)Thursday that current evidence shows the leaks were “the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage.” The alliance vowed it would defend against “hybrid tactics.” - The damage to the Nord Stream pipelines could result in the largest single release of methane into the atmosphere ever recorded, experts said. intelligence services.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov [said:](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/agreement-eu-sanctions-against-russia-expected-before-summit-eu-official-2022-09-29/)“This looks like an act of terrorism, possibly on a state level. … It is very difficult to imagine that such an act of a terrorism could have happened without the involvement of a state of some kind.” The Kremlin has said it was not in Russia’s economic interest to damage the pipelines and called for a U.N. - United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said Russia’s annexation plans “cannot be reconciled with the international legal framework; it stands against everything the international community is meant to stand for; it flouts the purposes and principles of the United Nations; it is a dangerous escalation; it has no place in the modern world.” In a Thursday news briefing, he said that Russia, as one of five permanent members of the U.N. He shared a group photo of the arrival and called it a “happy ending.” - The annexation requires a number of procedural sign-offs within Russia, including votes from both houses in Russia’s parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council, to approve the treaty, as happened when Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

Putin to host formal ceremony in Moscow after declaring Ukrainian lands 'independent' in major escalation of war.

Even staunch Kremlin allies have criticised the chaotic nature of the call-up, and Putin himself admitted on Thursday that “ Ukraine embarked on a major counteroffensive this month that has pushed Russia out of the northeastern Kharkiv region. Putin recognised the ‘independence’ of Donetsk and Luhansk in February. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called an emergency meeting on Friday of his National Security and Defence Council. It will also call for Russia’s immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the “independence” of the Ukrainian regions Zaporizhia and Kherson as Moscow prepares to formally proclaim the annexation of Ukrainian territory in a major escalation of its seven-month invasion.