LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
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Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
|
16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
Medvedev threatens attacks on Europe and US: 'Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back'
10:19
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has issued another Telegram message containing his typically hawkish rhetoric. He says:
Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. The protection of all the territories that have joined will be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces.
Russia 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.
Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.
But the western establishment, in general, all citizens of the Nato countries need to understand that Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back.
10:06
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their role in the recent prisoner release. Ukraine’s president writes:
Ukraine returned 215 heroes from Russian captivity. We greatly appreciate the contribution of everyone involved in rescuing the defenders and will never forget it. Many thanks to the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for leading this process.
We agreed that the five released commanders of Azov will be in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and will be able to see their families.
Also, as a sign of gratitude for the help to our country, Ukraine freed from Russian captivity five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the USA, citizens of Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Thank you for your support Saudi Arabia.
We remember all those who are in Russian captivity, and we will do everything for their rescue.
10:02
Since Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of Russia yesterday, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group more than 1,300 people have been arrested in 38 different Russian cities. These are the largest protests seen since Putin launched his invasion in February..
Agence France-Presse journalists in central Moscow report they saw at least 50 people detained by police in riot gear, while in the former imperial capital St Petersburg, police surrounded and detained a small group of protesters, loading them onto a bus as they chanted: “No mobilization!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot,” AFP reports protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest, said.
Here is a video clip of some of the scenes from the streets of Russia overnight.
Related: Russia protests: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations
09:39
Kirill Stremousov, part of the Russian-imposed administration in occupied Kherson, has posted to Telegram ahead of the planned referendum in the region at the weekend. He has said:
Residents of the Kherson region expect real statehood from Russia. After all, in recent years Ukraine has been turned into a colony according to the principles of the tribal system. Nazism was literally brought to the inhabitants of Ukraine in the open, we were forbidden to speak our native Russian language, “history” was being rewritten before our very eyes. We want the development of our Kherson region, and not allow our region to be robbed by “our European partners”. Residents of the Kherson region deserve respect and development opportunities. And this can only be done with Russia, but it will be a completely different story, country ...
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
Medvedev threatens attacks on Europe and US: 'Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back'
10:19
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has issued another Telegram message containing his typically hawkish rhetoric. He says:
Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. The protection of all the territories that have joined will be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces.
Russia 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.
Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.
But the western establishment, in general, all citizens of the Nato countries need to understand that Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back.
10:06
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their role in the recent prisoner release. Ukraine’s president writes:
Ukraine returned 215 heroes from Russian captivity. We greatly appreciate the contribution of everyone involved in rescuing the defenders and will never forget it. Many thanks to the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for leading this process.
We agreed that the five released commanders of Azov will be in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and will be able to see their families.
Also, as a sign of gratitude for the help to our country, Ukraine freed from Russian captivity five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the USA, citizens of Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Thank you for your support Saudi Arabia.
We remember all those who are in Russian captivity, and we will do everything for their rescue.
10:02
Since Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of Russia yesterday, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group more than 1,300 people have been arrested in 38 different Russian cities. These are the largest protests seen since Putin launched his invasion in February.
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Agence France-Presse journalists in central Moscow report they saw at least 50 people detained by police in riot gear, while in the former imperial capital St Petersburg, police surrounded and detained a small group of protesters, loading them onto a bus as they chanted: “No mobilization!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot,” AFP reports protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest, said.
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Here is a video clip of some of the scenes from the streets of Russia overnight.
Related: Russia protests: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations
09:39
Kirill Stremousov, part of the Russian-imposed administration in occupied Kherson, has posted to Telegram ahead of the planned referendum in the region at the weekend. He has said:
Residents of the Kherson region expect real statehood from Russia. After all, in recent years Ukraine has been turned into a colony according to the principles of the tribal system. Nazism was literally brought to the inhabitants of Ukraine in the open, we were forbidden to speak our native Russian language, “history” was being rewritten before our very eyes. We want the development of our Kherson region, and not allow our region to be robbed by “our European partners”. Residents of the Kherson region deserve respect and development opportunities. And this can only be done with Russia, but it will be a completely different story, country ...
09:38
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is chair of the House of Commons defence committee in the British parliament, has been interviewed on Sky News this morning in the UK. He has been a strong proponent of more direct action and support from Nato for Ukraine, since Russia’s latest invasion began. He told viewers:
I think our leaders are now recognising where this is all going and we need to step back and ask ourselves the fundamental security question that I pose ever more regularly. Is the world likely to become more dangerous or less over the next few years? I think the answer is clearly the former.
This is not just about Ukraine, but the emergence of a new alliance with Russia, China, and other authoritarian states challenging the status quo that we’ve enjoyed since the end of the cold war. So our actions now, in how we handle Ukraine, given the conflict has now moved into a darker chapter, will determine I think how the next decade plays.
He said:
We’re involved in an economic war with Russia over oil, over gas, over energy. We’re training Ukrainians to fight, we’re arming them with other sophisticated weapons. We’re involved in a political war with Russia.
We need to recognise that we need to move to a war footing, and how we protect our energy supplies, how we develop greater resilience to thwart expected grey zone attacks, how we procure and replace weapons systems that we’ve gifted – our cupboards are almost empty – and how we better assist vulnerable states such as such as Moldova.
Specifically on the issue of the use of nuclear weapons, Ellwood expressed concern that Nato did not have a properly formulated doctrine, saying:
We need to recognise we need to have proportionate responses if nuclear weapons are used, or indeed chemical weapons. We need robust protocols in place in case a tactical low yield nuclear weapon is used. When I visited Nato I asked this very question, and there wasn’t an answer. We need to be very, very clear if Putin steps over this threshold what the west will do.
09:26
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control.
Reuters reports that Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, said: “The number clearly has picked up.”
“It is an exceptional number in the sense that it clearly is busier,” he said, adding that the situation was under control and border guards were ready at nine checkpoint.
08:48
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has said her thoughts are with the recently released prisoners of war and their families. She tweeted:
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskiy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two US citizens, who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations.
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskyy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two U.S. citizens who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations. https://t.co/ivGIrJE4NV
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 22, 2022
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans from Alabama who had volunteered to fight, were released yesterday. Drueke’s aunt, Dianna Shaw, said the two men were “safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states”.
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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16
LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
Medvedev threatens attacks on Europe and US: 'Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back'
10:19
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has issued another Telegram message containing his typically hawkish rhetoric. He says:
Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. The protection of all the territories that have joined will be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces.
Russia 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.
Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.
But the western establishment, in general, all citizens of the Nato countries need to understand that Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back.
10:06
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their role in the recent prisoner release. Ukraine’s president writes:
Ukraine returned 215 heroes from Russian captivity. We greatly appreciate the contribution of everyone involved in rescuing the defenders and will never forget it. Many thanks to the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for leading this process.
We agreed that the five released commanders of Azov will be in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and will be able to see their families.
Also, as a sign of gratitude for the help to our country, Ukraine freed from Russian captivity five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the USA, citizens of Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Thank you for your support Saudi Arabia.
We remember all those who are in Russian captivity, and we will do everything for their rescue.
10:02
Since Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of Russia yesterday, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group more than 1,300 people have been arrested in 38 different Russian cities. These are the largest protests seen since Putin launched his invasion in February.
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Agence France-Presse journalists in central Moscow report they saw at least 50 people detained by police in riot gear, while in the former imperial capital St Petersburg, police surrounded and detained a small group of protesters, loading them onto a bus as they chanted: “No mobilization!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot,” AFP reports protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest, said.
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Here is a video clip of some of the scenes from the streets of Russia overnight.
Related: Russia protests: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations
09:39
Kirill Stremousov, part of the Russian-imposed administration in occupied Kherson, has posted to Telegram ahead of the planned referendum in the region at the weekend. He has said:
Residents of the Kherson region expect real statehood from Russia. After all, in recent years Ukraine has been turned into a colony according to the principles of the tribal system. Nazism was literally brought to the inhabitants of Ukraine in the open, we were forbidden to speak our native Russian language, “history” was being rewritten before our very eyes. We want the development of our Kherson region, and not allow our region to be robbed by “our European partners”. Residents of the Kherson region deserve respect and development opportunities. And this can only be done with Russia, but it will be a completely different story, country ...
09:38
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is chair of the House of Commons defence committee in the British parliament, has been interviewed on Sky News this morning in the UK. He has been a strong proponent of more direct action and support from Nato for Ukraine, since Russia’s latest invasion began. He told viewers:
I think our leaders are now recognising where this is all going and we need to step back and ask ourselves the fundamental security question that I pose ever more regularly. Is the world likely to become more dangerous or less over the next few years? I think the answer is clearly the former.
This is not just about Ukraine, but the emergence of a new alliance with Russia, China, and other authoritarian states challenging the status quo that we’ve enjoyed since the end of the cold war. So our actions now, in how we handle Ukraine, given the conflict has now moved into a darker chapter, will determine I think how the next decade plays.
He said:
We’re involved in an economic war with Russia over oil, over gas, over energy. We’re training Ukrainians to fight, we’re arming them with other sophisticated weapons. We’re involved in a political war with Russia.
We need to recognise that we need to move to a war footing, and how we protect our energy supplies, how we develop greater resilience to thwart expected grey zone attacks, how we procure and replace weapons systems that we’ve gifted – our cupboards are almost empty – and how we better assist vulnerable states such as such as Moldova.
Specifically on the issue of the use of nuclear weapons, Ellwood expressed concern that Nato did not have a properly formulated doctrine, saying:
We need to recognise we need to have proportionate responses if nuclear weapons are used, or indeed chemical weapons. We need robust protocols in place in case a tactical low yield nuclear weapon is used. When I visited Nato I asked this very question, and there wasn’t an answer. We need to be very, very clear if Putin steps over this threshold what the west will do.
09:26
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control.
Reuters reports that Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, said: “The number clearly has picked up.”
“It is an exceptional number in the sense that it clearly is busier,” he said, adding that the situation was under control and border guards were ready at nine checkpoints.
08:48
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has said her thoughts are with the recently released prisoners of war and their families. She tweeted:
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskiy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two US citizens, who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations.
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskyy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two U.S. citizens who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations. https://t.co/ivGIrJE4NV
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 22, 2022
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans from Alabama who had volunteered to fight, were released yesterday. Drueke’s aunt, Dianna Shaw, said the two men were “safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states”.
08:46
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has, according to Russia’s RIA news agency, described Joe Biden’s speech at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. RIA quotes Zakharova saying:
As for the speech of the president of the United States, I consider it absolutely indecent how it began. Indecent not because they have nothing to do or they do not have the right to touch other countries. The fact is that he allegedly started quoting the president of Russia. We, as we always do, began to double-check Biden’s words. Biden said it for sure, but the president of Russia did not say that.
She described the way that Putin’s words were being portrayed by Biden and the US media as “absolutely propaganda” and “contrary to what was actually said”.
Here is how Joe Biden opened his speech in the UN, saying:
Let us speak plainly. A permanent member of the United Nations security council invaded its neighbour, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map.
Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter – no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbour by force.
Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime.
Later in his speech he also said:
Russia shunned the non-proliferation ideals embraced by every other nation at the 10th NPT review conference. And again, today, as I said, they’re making irresponsible nuclear threats to use nuclear weapons.
Here is the passage, in translation, from Vladimir Putin’s speech on Tuesday where he mentioned nuclear blackmail and nuclear weapons:
Nuclear blackmail was also launched. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the west, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading Nato states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia – nuclear weapons.
For those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the Nato countries.
And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.
08:44
Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, has posted a lengthy status update to Telegram detailing damage from a large number of strikes across the region.
He says in the city of Mykolaiv itself “massive rocket fire” just after midnight led to “multi-story buildings were damaged, windows were broken, gas pipelines, water pipes, cinema and theatre courtyards, administrative buildings were damaged.”
However, there appear to be no casualties or deaths as a result of the strikes. The claims have not been independently verified.
08:44
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Ukraine..
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
Medvedev threatens attacks on Europe and US: 'Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back'
10:19
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has issued another Telegram message containing his typically hawkish rhetoric. He says:
Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. The protection of all the territories that have joined will be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces.
Russia 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.
Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.
But the western establishment, in general, all citizens of the Nato countries need to understand that Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back.
10:06
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their role in the recent prisoner release. Ukraine’s president writes:
Ukraine returned 215 heroes from Russian captivity. We greatly appreciate the contribution of everyone involved in rescuing the defenders and will never forget it. Many thanks to the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for leading this process.
We agreed that the five released commanders of Azov will be in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and will be able to see their families.
Also, as a sign of gratitude for the help to our country, Ukraine freed from Russian captivity five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the USA, citizens of Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Thank you for your support Saudi Arabia.
We remember all those who are in Russian captivity, and we will do everything for their rescue.
10:02
Since Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of Russia yesterday, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group more than 1,300 people have been arrested in 38 different Russian cities. These are the largest protests seen since Putin launched his invasion in February.
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Agence France-Presse journalists in central Moscow report they saw at least 50 people detained by police in riot gear, while in the former imperial capital St Petersburg, police surrounded and detained a small group of protesters, loading them onto a bus as they chanted: “No mobilization!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot,” AFP reports protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest, said.
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Here is a video clip of some of the scenes from the streets of Russia overnight.
Related: Russia protests: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations
09:39
Kirill Stremousov, part of the Russian-imposed administration in occupied Kherson, has posted to Telegram ahead of the planned referendum in the region at the weekend. He has said:
Residents of the Kherson region expect real statehood from Russia. After all, in recent years Ukraine has been turned into a colony according to the principles of the tribal system. Nazism was literally brought to the inhabitants of Ukraine in the open, we were forbidden to speak our native Russian language, “history” was being rewritten before our very eyes. We want the development of our Kherson region, and not allow our region to be robbed by “our European partners”. Residents of the Kherson region deserve respect and development opportunities. And this can only be done with Russia, but it will be a completely different story, country ...
09:38
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is chair of the House of Commons defence committee in the British parliament, has been interviewed on Sky News this morning in the UK. He has been a strong proponent of more direct action and support from Nato for Ukraine, since Russia’s latest invasion began. He told viewers:
I think our leaders are now recognising where this is all going and we need to step back and ask ourselves the fundamental security question that I pose ever more regularly. Is the world likely to become more dangerous or less over the next few years? I think the answer is clearly the former.
This is not just about Ukraine, but the emergence of a new alliance with Russia, China, and other authoritarian states challenging the status quo that we’ve enjoyed since the end of the cold war. So our actions now, in how we handle Ukraine, given the conflict has now moved into a darker chapter, will determine I think how the next decade plays.
He said:
We’re involved in an economic war with Russia over oil, over gas, over energy. We’re training Ukrainians to fight, we’re arming them with other sophisticated weapons. We’re involved in a political war with Russia.
We need to recognise that we need to move to a war footing, and how we protect our energy supplies, how we develop greater resilience to thwart expected grey zone attacks, how we procure and replace weapons systems that we’ve gifted – our cupboards are almost empty – and how we better assist vulnerable states such as such as Moldova.
Specifically on the issue of the use of nuclear weapons, Ellwood expressed concern that Nato did not have a properly formulated doctrine, saying:
We need to recognise we need to have proportionate responses if nuclear weapons are used, or indeed chemical weapons. We need robust protocols in place in case a tactical low yield nuclear weapon is used. When I visited Nato I asked this very question, and there wasn’t an answer. We need to be very, very clear if Putin steps over this threshold what the west will do.
09:26
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control.
Reuters reports that Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, said: “The number clearly has picked up.”
“It is an exceptional number in the sense that it clearly is busier,” he said, adding that the situation was under control and border guards were ready at nine checkpoints.
08:48
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has said her thoughts are with the recently released prisoners of war and their families. She tweeted:
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskiy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two US citizens, who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations.
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskyy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two U.S. citizens who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations. https://t.co/ivGIrJE4NV
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 22, 2022
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans from Alabama who had volunteered to fight, were released yesterday. Drueke’s aunt, Dianna Shaw, said the two men were “safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states”.
08:46
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has, according to Russia’s RIA news agency, described Joe Biden’s speech at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. RIA quotes Zakharova saying:
As for the speech of the president of the United States, I consider it absolutely indecent how it began. Indecent not because they have nothing to do or they do not have the right to touch other countries. The fact is that he allegedly started quoting the president of Russia. We, as we always do, began to double-check Biden’s words. Biden said it for sure, but the president of Russia did not say that.
She described the way that Putin’s words were being portrayed by Biden and the US media as “absolutely propaganda” and “contrary to what was actually said”.
Here is how Joe Biden opened his speech in the UN, saying:
Let us speak plainly. A permanent member of the United Nations security council invaded its neighbour, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map.
Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter – no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbour by force.
Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime.
Later in his speech he also said:
Russia shunned the non-proliferation ideals embraced by every other nation at the 10th NPT review conference. And again, today, as I said, they’re making irresponsible nuclear threats to use nuclear weapons.
Here is the passage, in translation, from Vladimir Putin’s speech on Tuesday where he mentioned nuclear blackmail and nuclear weapons:
Nuclear blackmail was also launched. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the west, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading Nato states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia – nuclear weapons.
For those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the Nato countries.
And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.
08:44
Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, has posted a lengthy status update to Telegram detailing damage from a large number of strikes across the region.
He says in the city of Mykolaiv itself “massive rocket fire” just after midnight led to “multi-story buildings were damaged, windows were broken, gas pipelines, water pipes, cinema and theatre courtyards, administrative buildings were damaged.”
However, there appear to be no casualties or deaths as a result of the strikes. The claims have not been independently verified.
08:44
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Ukraine.
A man walks through the gym in a school that was used as a Russian military hospital in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A man walks through the gym in a school that was used as a Russian military hospital in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
People charge their phones and electronic devices powered by a generator in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
People charge their phones and electronic devices powered by a generator in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Damaged railway infrastructure in Kharkiv. Photograph: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Damaged railway infrastructure in Kharkiv. Photograph: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
© Provided by The Guardian
UK MoD: mobilisation is 'admission Russia exhausted supply of willing volunteers'
07:11
The UK’s ministry of defence has issued its daily intelligence briefing about how it sees the situation in Ukraine. It has concentrated today on the consequences of Russia’s partial mobilisation announced yesterday by Vladimir Putin, which it judges unlikely to be effective. It writes:
Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.
Even this limited mobilisation is likely to be highly unpopular with parts of the Russian population. Putin is accepting considerable political risk in the hope of generating much needed combat power.
The move is effectively an admission that Russia has exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 22 September 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/XL4XfL3qRG
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/8VtmvHnfPb
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 22, 2022
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me on martin.belam@theguardian.com
07:03
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians, Reuters reports.
Those fighting in military conflicts abroad faced criminal prosecution under Uzbek law, the Central Asian nation’s Prosecutor General’s office said in a statement late on Wednesday.
A video circulated in Ukrainian social media this month showed two Uzbeks captured in fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces; the detainees said they had been recruited in Moscow.
Hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks live in or regularly travel to Russia to find work and provide for their families at home; some work illegally and risk being deported.
Russia’s parliament passed a law this week offering fast-track citizenship to foreigners who join its army, part of a broader drive to strengthen the military amid the stalled Ukrainian campaign which also included partial mobilisation.
06:44
Russia is set to face direct pressure at the United Nations on Thursday over its invasion of Ukraine, whose leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to the world to punish Moscow. Agence France-Presse reports.
As global leaders convened for the annual general assembly, the security council will hold a special session among foreign ministers called by France on impunity for rights abuses in Ukraine.
The morning session is expected to bring Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov face to face with top western diplomats including secretary of state Antony Blinken, who has refused a one-on-one meeting since the 24 February invasion.
After two years of pandemic restrictions, only one leader was still allowed to address the assembly virtually – Zelenskiy, who in a pre-recorded video called 15 times for “punishment” of Russia and received a rare standing ovation.
06:43
Liz Truss has dismissed as “sabre-rattling” Vladimir Putin’s warning that Russia will use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself, warning in her UN speech: “This will not work.”
The Russian president’s threats in a televised address to the nation appeared to suggest the conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a nuclear crisis, prompting a furious response from world leaders, led by the US president, Joe Biden.
The new UK prime minister, who addressed the UN in New York hours after a virtual speech by the Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, urged world leaders not to “let up” on dealing with Putin despite domestic concerns about soaring energy prices.
06:43
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reports.
We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,” an official at the defence ministry’s General Bureau of Equipment said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The statement comes after the White House said earlier in September that Russia was buying artillery shells and rockets from communist North Korea to support its war in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US believed purchases “could include literally millions of rounds, rockets and artillery shells.”
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
Medvedev threatens attacks on Europe and US: 'Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back'
10:19
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has issued another Telegram message containing his typically hawkish rhetoric. He says:
Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. The protection of all the territories that have joined will be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces.
Russia 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.
Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.
But the western establishment, in general, all citizens of the Nato countries need to understand that Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back.
10:06
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their role in the recent prisoner release. Ukraine’s president writes:
Ukraine returned 215 heroes from Russian captivity. We greatly appreciate the contribution of everyone involved in rescuing the defenders and will never forget it. Many thanks to the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for leading this process.
We agreed that the five released commanders of Azov will be in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and will be able to see their families.
Also, as a sign of gratitude for the help to our country, Ukraine freed from Russian captivity five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the USA, citizens of Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Thank you for your support Saudi Arabia.
We remember all those who are in Russian captivity, and we will do everything for their rescue.
10:02
Since Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of Russia yesterday, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group more than 1,300 people have been arrested in 38 different Russian cities. These are the largest protests seen since Putin launched his invasion in February.
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Agence France-Presse journalists in central Moscow report they saw at least 50 people detained by police in riot gear, while in the former imperial capital St Petersburg, police surrounded and detained a small group of protesters, loading them onto a bus as they chanted: “No mobilization!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot,” AFP reports protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest, said.
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Here is a video clip of some of the scenes from the streets of Russia overnight.
Related: Russia protests: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations
09:39
Kirill Stremousov, part of the Russian-imposed administration in occupied Kherson, has posted to Telegram ahead of the planned referendum in the region at the weekend. He has said:
Residents of the Kherson region expect real statehood from Russia. After all, in recent years Ukraine has been turned into a colony according to the principles of the tribal system. Nazism was literally brought to the inhabitants of Ukraine in the open, we were forbidden to speak our native Russian language, “history” was being rewritten before our very eyes. We want the development of our Kherson region, and not allow our region to be robbed by “our European partners”. Residents of the Kherson region deserve respect and development opportunities. And this can only be done with Russia, but it will be a completely different story, country ...
09:38
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is chair of the House of Commons defence committee in the British parliament, has been interviewed on Sky News this morning in the UK. He has been a strong proponent of more direct action and support from Nato for Ukraine, since Russia’s latest invasion began. He told viewers:
I think our leaders are now recognising where this is all going and we need to step back and ask ourselves the fundamental security question that I pose ever more regularly. Is the world likely to become more dangerous or less over the next few years? I think the answer is clearly the former.
This is not just about Ukraine, but the emergence of a new alliance with Russia, China, and other authoritarian states challenging the status quo that we’ve enjoyed since the end of the cold war. So our actions now, in how we handle Ukraine, given the conflict has now moved into a darker chapter, will determine I think how the next decade plays.
He said:
We’re involved in an economic war with Russia over oil, over gas, over energy. We’re training Ukrainians to fight, we’re arming them with other sophisticated weapons. We’re involved in a political war with Russia.
We need to recognise that we need to move to a war footing, and how we protect our energy supplies, how we develop greater resilience to thwart expected grey zone attacks, how we procure and replace weapons systems that we’ve gifted – our cupboards are almost empty – and how we better assist vulnerable states such as such as Moldova.
Specifically on the issue of the use of nuclear weapons, Ellwood expressed concern that Nato did not have a properly formulated doctrine, saying:
We need to recognise we need to have proportionate responses if nuclear weapons are used, or indeed chemical weapons. We need robust protocols in place in case a tactical low yield nuclear weapon is used. When I visited Nato I asked this very question, and there wasn’t an answer. We need to be very, very clear if Putin steps over this threshold what the west will do.
09:26
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control.
Reuters reports that Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, said: “The number clearly has picked up.”
“It is an exceptional number in the sense that it clearly is busier,” he said, adding that the situation was under control and border guards were ready at nine checkpoints.
08:48
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has said her thoughts are with the recently released prisoners of war and their families. She tweeted:
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskiy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two US citizens, who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations.
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskyy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two U.S. citizens who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations. https://t.co/ivGIrJE4NV
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 22, 2022
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans from Alabama who had volunteered to fight, were released yesterday. Drueke’s aunt, Dianna Shaw, said the two men were “safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states”.
08:46
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has, according to Russia’s RIA news agency, described Joe Biden’s speech at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. RIA quotes Zakharova saying:
As for the speech of the president of the United States, I consider it absolutely indecent how it began. Indecent not because they have nothing to do or they do not have the right to touch other countries. The fact is that he allegedly started quoting the president of Russia. We, as we always do, began to double-check Biden’s words. Biden said it for sure, but the president of Russia did not say that.
She described the way that Putin’s words were being portrayed by Biden and the US media as “absolutely propaganda” and “contrary to what was actually said”.
Here is how Joe Biden opened his speech in the UN, saying:
Let us speak plainly. A permanent member of the United Nations security council invaded its neighbour, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map.
Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter – no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbour by force.
Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime.
Later in his speech he also said:
Russia shunned the non-proliferation ideals embraced by every other nation at the 10th NPT review conference. And again, today, as I said, they’re making irresponsible nuclear threats to use nuclear weapons.
Here is the passage, in translation, from Vladimir Putin’s speech on Tuesday where he mentioned nuclear blackmail and nuclear weapons:
Nuclear blackmail was also launched. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the west, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading Nato states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia – nuclear weapons.
For those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the Nato countries.
And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.
08:44
Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, has posted a lengthy status update to Telegram detailing damage from a large number of strikes across the region.
He says in the city of Mykolaiv itself “massive rocket fire” just after midnight led to “multi-story buildings were damaged, windows were broken, gas pipelines, water pipes, cinema and theatre courtyards, administrative buildings were damaged.”
However, there appear to be no casualties or deaths as a result of the strikes. The claims have not been independently verified.
08:44
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Ukraine.
A man walks through the gym in a school that was used as a Russian military hospital in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A man walks through the gym in a school that was used as a Russian military hospital in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
People charge their phones and electronic devices powered by a generator in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
People charge their phones and electronic devices powered by a generator in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Damaged railway infrastructure in Kharkiv. Photograph: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Damaged railway infrastructure in Kharkiv. Photograph: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
© Provided by The Guardian
UK MoD: mobilisation is 'admission Russia exhausted supply of willing volunteers'
07:11
The UK’s ministry of defence has issued its daily intelligence briefing about how it sees the situation in Ukraine. It has concentrated today on the consequences of Russia’s partial mobilisation announced yesterday by Vladimir Putin, which it judges unlikely to be effective. It writes:
Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.
Even this limited mobilisation is likely to be highly unpopular with parts of the Russian population. Putin is accepting considerable political risk in the hope of generating much needed combat power.
The move is effectively an admission that Russia has exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 22 September 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/XL4XfL3qRG
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/8VtmvHnfPb
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 22, 2022
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me on martin.belam@theguardian.com
07:03
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians, Reuters reports.
Those fighting in military conflicts abroad faced criminal prosecution under Uzbek law, the Central Asian nation’s Prosecutor General’s office said in a statement late on Wednesday.
A video circulated in Ukrainian social media this month showed two Uzbeks captured in fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces; the detainees said they had been recruited in Moscow.
Hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks live in or regularly travel to Russia to find work and provide for their families at home; some work illegally and risk being deported.
Russia’s parliament passed a law this week offering fast-track citizenship to foreigners who join its army, part of a broader drive to strengthen the military amid the stalled Ukrainian campaign which also included partial mobilisation.
06:44
Russia is set to face direct pressure at the United Nations on Thursday over its invasion of Ukraine, whose leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to the world to punish Moscow. Agence France-Presse reports.
As global leaders convened for the annual general assembly, the security council will hold a special session among foreign ministers called by France on impunity for rights abuses in Ukraine.
The morning session is expected to bring Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov face to face with top western diplomats including secretary of state Antony Blinken, who has refused a one-on-one meeting since the 24 February invasion.
After two years of pandemic restrictions, only one leader was still allowed to address the assembly virtually – Zelenskiy, who in a pre-recorded video called 15 times for “punishment” of Russia and received a rare standing ovation.
06:43
Liz Truss has dismissed as “sabre-rattling” Vladimir Putin’s warning that Russia will use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself, warning in her UN speech: “This will not work.”
The Russian president’s threats in a televised address to the nation appeared to suggest the conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a nuclear crisis, prompting a furious response from world leaders, led by the US president, Joe Biden.
The new UK prime minister, who addressed the UN in New York hours after a virtual speech by the Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, urged world leaders not to “let up” on dealing with Putin despite domestic concerns about soaring energy prices.
Liz Truss addresses the UN general assembly. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Liz Truss addresses the UN general assembly. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
© Provided by The Guardian
06:43
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reports.
We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,” an official at the defence ministry’s General Bureau of Equipment said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The statement comes after the White House said earlier in September that Russia was buying artillery shells and rockets from communist North Korea to support its war in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US believed purchases “could include literally millions of rounds, rockets and artillery shells.”
06:43
The partial mobilisation announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin will not generate significant extra combat capability for months, the Institute for the Study of War writes in its latest report. The thinktank’s analysts also believe Putin comments about nuclear weapons did not mean he would use them to defend annexed areas of Ukraine.
Putin’s order to mobilize part of Russia’s “trained” reserve, that is, individuals who have completed their mandatory conscript service, will not generate significant usable Russian combat power for months. It may suffice to sustain the current levels of Russian military manpower in 2023 by offsetting Russian casualties, although even that is not yet clear.
06:42
Ukraine has announced that 215 Ukrainian and foreign citizens have been released by Russia in a prisoner exchange, including fighters who led the defence of Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks that became an icon of Ukrainian resistance.
Russia received 55 prisoners including Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, accused of high treason, the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in his daily address.
Medvedchuk was arrested in April, after escaping house arrest on treason charges days after the Russian invasion. At the time, Zelenskiy suggested exchanging him for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia but the Kremlin rejected the offer.
Nuclear watchdog head meets Lavrov and Kuleba over Zaporizhzhia plant
06:32
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday he met with Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around a nuclear plant in south-eastern Ukraine that is Europe’s largest, AP reports.
The Zaporizhzhia power plant has faced almost daily shelling and bombardment, raising fears of a nuclear accident.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that as a result of the separate meetings with Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, work has already begun on establishing and shaping the zone.
He said he hopes to visit Kyiv soon, and “perhaps later on” go to Russia.
“Given the urgency of the situation and the gravity of what’s going on in the field we have to move fast,” Grossi said. Both nations, he said, share “a conviction that the establishment of the zone is indispensable.”
“The mere fact that the two foreign ministers are sitting down with me and are listening to our ideas, I think it’s a good indicator that there is a very strong solid base for this thing to happen,” he said.
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Ukraine war: Britons released in prisoner exchange named as 1,300 held in Russia after anti-mobilisation protests – live
Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Martin Belam and Michael Coulter (earlier) - 22 Sept 2022
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LIVE – Updated at 12:53
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow.
12:53
Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement sparked fears that men of fighting age would be called to fight on the frontline in Ukraine.
Prices for one-way flights out of Moscow to the nearest foreign locations rose above $5,000 (£4,435), with most air tickets sold out completely for coming days.
Photos showed long tailbacks at border crossings with Georgia.
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
A queue of cars is seen at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border. Photograph: RFE/RL’S Georgian service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
The Kremlin has described reports of an exodus of draft-age men from Russia as exaggerated.
12:30
France will continue to support Ukraine with arms and training, the country’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said.
Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, Lecornu added that France needed cooperation within the Nato alliance to continue its support for Kyiv.
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
Christine Lambrecht and her French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
12:29
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shared photographs of the Ukrainian citizens who have been released by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.
In a post on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote:
Ours. Free. We keep working to return all Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Glory to Ukraine!
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
Azov officer Sviatoslav Palamar who was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Photograph: AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
Ukrainian fighters Denys Prokopenko (C-R) speaking with Denys Monastyrskyi (C-L), minister of internal affairs of Ukraine. Photograph: Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
© Provided by The Guardian
12:07
Vladimir Putin is “desperate” and “bluffing” with his threats to use nuclear weapons, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.
In his speech yesterday, the Russian president warned that he had “lots of weapons to reply” to what he called western threats on Russian territory and added that he was not bluffing.
Speaking to Sky News today, Prystaiko said:
When somebody is saying that I’m not bluffing, that’s the first sign that they are actually bluffing. Otherwise, they would do something like prepare the nuclear arsenal.
They’re not doing it, which means that he’s trying to find a magic wand which will allow him to get out of the situation because he’s deeply, deeply in trouble.
Putin was trying to “intimidate all of us”, Prystaiko said, adding that he didn’t believe it would work.
He added:
We just believe in the hope that there are some forces around him (Putin) who will be able to tell him that, you know: ‘We are going nowhere, we’re going down and we’re bringing the whole nation with us.’
Moscow says 55 fighters returned to Russia in prisoner exchange
11:58
Russia’s defence ministry has said 55 of its servicemen have been released in the largest prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine since the start of the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin said:
All servicemen have been delivered to the territory of the Russian Federation by military transport aircraft and are in medical institutions of Russia’s defence ministry.
The fighters, who came from Russia’s armed forces and its proxies in the Russian-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, were currently undergoing health checks, it added.
The statement did not mention Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Vladimir Putin accused of high treason. The Russian-installed separatist head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Medvedchuk had been freed as part of the deal.
Nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners and Ukrainian fighters who took part in the siege of Mariupol, were involved in the prisoner swap.
11:48
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation as “exaggerated”.
Flight sales data showed flights from Moscow to the capitals of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia, all destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out within minutes of Putin’s announcement on Wednesday.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also declined to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilisation protesters detained on Wednesday night had been given draft papers, saying:
This is not against the law.
Five Britons held by Russian authorities named
11:33
The names of five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine overnight have been confirmed.
Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill were flown to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to Britain.
They were reunited with their families after landing at Heathrow Airport.
On Wednesday, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, confirmed that five Britons held by pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had been released after the intervention of Saudi Arabia.
Aslin’s MP Robert Jenrick tweeted yesterday that he and “the other British prisoners of war held captive by the Russian authorities” were on their way back to the UK.
In a video filmed on a plane with Pinner beside him, Aslin said:
We just want to let everybody know we are out of the danger zone.
“By the skin of our teeth,” Pinner added, and both men thanked those who had supported them during their detention.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine war. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
11:26
Presidium Network has confirmed that the five Britons captured by Russian-backed forces have been released and are safely home.
The organisation, a UK-based company that says it carries out evacuations of families and individuals from war zones, said:
We know that all are back safely in the UK.
The five are Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill.
The men are all “looking forward to normality with their families after this horrific ordeal”, said Dominik Byrne, co-founder of Presidium.
Summary of the day so far …
11:12
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia overnight at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening. It said those figures included at least 502 in Moscow and 524 in St Petersburg, Russia’s second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.
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Russian interior ministry official Irina Volk, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said officers had cut short attempts to stage what it called small protests. “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants,” Volk was quoted as saying. “These were all stopped.”
The Moscow Times is carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during the anti-mobilisation protests.
The UK’s ministry of defence has described the mobilisation as an admission that Russia has “exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine”. It said “Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.”
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control. One-way flights out of Russia were rocketing in price and selling out fast on Wednesday after Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has threatened attacks on Europe and US, saying “Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. Any Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles, could be used [to protect them]. Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.”
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart over nuclear threats.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy on Thursday thanked Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their roles in recent prisoner exchanges. This included a Briton who was threatened with execution after being captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, who has been released alongside four other Britons and five international prisoners after the intervention of Saudi Arabia. Aiden Aslin was released alongside the two fighters he was sentenced to death with at a controversial trial in Russian-held eastern Ukraine in June – Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan named Brahim Saadoun.
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine, raising it to ~55,510. On Wednesday, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine.
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Wednesday he had met Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will be back later. Léonie Chao-Fong will be with you for the next few hours.
10:46
The British prime minister, Liz Truss, has just tweeted: “We will not rest until Ukraine prevails” alongside the full text of her speech to the UN general assembly yesterday, during which she said:
No one is threatening Russia. Yet we meet here this evening… In Ukraine, barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people, rape is being used as an instrument of war, families are being torn apart.
And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures. He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate. He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and sabre-rattling threats.
This will not work. The international alliance is strong and Ukraine is strong.
The contrast between Russia’s conduct and Ukraine’s brave, dignified first lady, Olena Zelenska, who is here at the UN today, could not be more stark.
The Ukrainians are not just defending their own country – they are defending our values and the security of the whole world.
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
Liz Truss, left, stands with the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, at the Ukrainian Institute of America on Tuesday. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
10:26
The general staff of the Ukraine army has issued updated figures of the losses it claims to have inflicted on Russia and pro-Russia forces within occupied areas of Ukraine.
It has raised the casualty count by 400 personnel in the last 24 hours, taking it to a total of ~55,510.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02 по 22.09 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.09 were approximately: pic.twitter.com/fRcXHBHZUk
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 22, 2022
Yesterday Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, spoke of losses amounting to just under 6,000 personnel during what he termed Russia’s “special military operation”.
The Ukraine figure likely includes forces fighting for the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, who would not be expected to be counted in any official figure of Russian losses.
Nevertheless, the two claimed figures – 55,510 and 5,937 – are some magnitudes apart. Neither figure has been independently verified.
10:21
The Moscow Times is this morning carrying a report that a Russian military recruitment office and an administration building were attacked overnight in two separate locations during anti-mobilisation protests.
Citing local news sources, it reports:
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod 440km east of Moscow, a molotov cocktail attack started a small fire at a local enlistment building, according to the local nn.ru news website.
A slightly larger fire broke out at a local administration building in Tolyatti, a city located 1,000km east of Moscow.
The city’s news website nesluhi.info reported, citing emergency officials, that the molotov cocktail attack burned down the administration’s entrance.
The Moscow Times reports it is not known if there were any arrests or injuries as a result of the apparent attacks.
Telegram channel Mash posted pictures which it claims showed the damage to the building in Nizhny Novgorod.
The claims have not been verified directly by the Guardian.
Medvedev threatens attacks on Europe and US: 'Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back'
10:19
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and prime minister, and currently deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has issued another Telegram message containing his typically hawkish rhetoric. He says:
Referendums will be held, and the Donbas republics and other territories will be admitted to Russia. The protection of all the territories that have joined will be significantly strengthened by the Russian armed forces.
Russia 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.
Therefore, various retired idiots with generals’ stripes do not need to scare us with talk about a Nato strike on Crimea. Hypersonic is guaranteed to be able to reach targets in Europe and the United States much faster.
But the western establishment, in general, all citizens of the Nato countries need to understand that Russia has chosen its own path. There is no way back.
10:06
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their role in the recent prisoner release. Ukraine’s president writes:
Ukraine returned 215 heroes from Russian captivity. We greatly appreciate the contribution of everyone involved in rescuing the defenders and will never forget it. Many thanks to the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for leading this process.
We agreed that the five released commanders of Azov will be in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and will be able to see their families.
Also, as a sign of gratitude for the help to our country, Ukraine freed from Russian captivity five citizens of Great Britain, two citizens of the USA, citizens of Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Thank you for your support Saudi Arabia.
We remember all those who are in Russian captivity, and we will do everything for their rescue.
10:02
Since Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilisation of Russia yesterday, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group more than 1,300 people have been arrested in 38 different Russian cities. These are the largest protests seen since Putin launched his invasion in February.
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest against mobilisation in Moscow last night. Photograph: Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Agence France-Presse journalists in central Moscow report they saw at least 50 people detained by police in riot gear, while in the former imperial capital St Petersburg, police surrounded and detained a small group of protesters, loading them onto a bus as they chanted: “No mobilization!”
“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot,” AFP reports protester Vasily Fedorov, a student wearing a pacifist symbol on his chest, said.
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Riot police drag away a protester in Moscow last night. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Here is a video clip of some of the scenes from the streets of Russia overnight.
Related: Russia protests: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations
09:39
Kirill Stremousov, part of the Russian-imposed administration in occupied Kherson, has posted to Telegram ahead of the planned referendum in the region at the weekend. He has said:
Residents of the Kherson region expect real statehood from Russia. After all, in recent years Ukraine has been turned into a colony according to the principles of the tribal system. Nazism was literally brought to the inhabitants of Ukraine in the open, we were forbidden to speak our native Russian language, “history” was being rewritten before our very eyes. We want the development of our Kherson region, and not allow our region to be robbed by “our European partners”. Residents of the Kherson region deserve respect and development opportunities. And this can only be done with Russia, but it will be a completely different story, country ...
09:38
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who is chair of the House of Commons defence committee in the British parliament, has been interviewed on Sky News this morning in the UK. He has been a strong proponent of more direct action and support from Nato for Ukraine, since Russia’s latest invasion began. He told viewers:
I think our leaders are now recognising where this is all going and we need to step back and ask ourselves the fundamental security question that I pose ever more regularly. Is the world likely to become more dangerous or less over the next few years? I think the answer is clearly the former.
This is not just about Ukraine, but the emergence of a new alliance with Russia, China, and other authoritarian states challenging the status quo that we’ve enjoyed since the end of the cold war. So our actions now, in how we handle Ukraine, given the conflict has now moved into a darker chapter, will determine I think how the next decade plays.
He said:
We’re involved in an economic war with Russia over oil, over gas, over energy. We’re training Ukrainians to fight, we’re arming them with other sophisticated weapons. We’re involved in a political war with Russia.
We need to recognise that we need to move to a war footing, and how we protect our energy supplies, how we develop greater resilience to thwart expected grey zone attacks, how we procure and replace weapons systems that we’ve gifted – our cupboards are almost empty – and how we better assist vulnerable states such as such as Moldova.
Specifically on the issue of the use of nuclear weapons, Ellwood expressed concern that Nato did not have a properly formulated doctrine, saying:
We need to recognise we need to have proportionate responses if nuclear weapons are used, or indeed chemical weapons. We need robust protocols in place in case a tactical low yield nuclear weapon is used. When I visited Nato I asked this very question, and there wasn’t an answer. We need to be very, very clear if Putin steps over this threshold what the west will do.
09:26
Traffic arriving at Finland’s eastern border with Russia has “intensified” during the night, the Finnish border guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the situation was under control.
Reuters reports that Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, said: “The number clearly has picked up.”
“It is an exceptional number in the sense that it clearly is busier,” he said, adding that the situation was under control and border guards were ready at nine checkpoints.
08:48
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has said her thoughts are with the recently released prisoners of war and their families. She tweeted:
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskiy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two US citizens, who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations.
My thoughts this morning are with the released POWs, and with their loved ones. Thank you to President Zelenskyy and his team for including all prisoners of war, including two U.S. citizens who will be reunited with their families, in negotiations. https://t.co/ivGIrJE4NV
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 22, 2022
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans from Alabama who had volunteered to fight, were released yesterday. Drueke’s aunt, Dianna Shaw, said the two men were “safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states”.
08:46
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has, according to Russia’s RIA news agency, described Joe Biden’s speech at the UN as “indecent”, and accused the US president of mis-quoting his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. RIA quotes Zakharova saying:
As for the speech of the president of the United States, I consider it absolutely indecent how it began. Indecent not because they have nothing to do or they do not have the right to touch other countries. The fact is that he allegedly started quoting the president of Russia. We, as we always do, began to double-check Biden’s words. Biden said it for sure, but the president of Russia did not say that.
She described the way that Putin’s words were being portrayed by Biden and the US media as “absolutely propaganda” and “contrary to what was actually said”.
Here is how Joe Biden opened his speech in the UN, saying:
Let us speak plainly. A permanent member of the United Nations security council invaded its neighbour, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map.
Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter – no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbour by force.
Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime.
Later in his speech he also said:
Russia shunned the non-proliferation ideals embraced by every other nation at the 10th NPT review conference. And again, today, as I said, they’re making irresponsible nuclear threats to use nuclear weapons.
Here is the passage, in translation, from Vladimir Putin’s speech on Tuesday where he mentioned nuclear blackmail and nuclear weapons:
Nuclear blackmail was also launched. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the west, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading Nato states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia – nuclear weapons.
For those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the Nato countries.
And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.
08:44
Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, has posted a lengthy status update to Telegram detailing damage from a large number of strikes across the region.
He says in the city of Mykolaiv itself “massive rocket fire” just after midnight led to “multi-story buildings were damaged, windows were broken, gas pipelines, water pipes, cinema and theatre courtyards, administrative buildings were damaged.”
However, there appear to be no casualties or deaths as a result of the strikes. The claims have not been independently verified.
08:44
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the newswires from Ukraine.
A man walks through the gym in a school that was used as a Russian military hospital in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
A man walks through the gym in a school that was used as a Russian military hospital in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
People charge their phones and electronic devices powered by a generator in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
People charge their phones and electronic devices powered by a generator in the recently retaken area of Izium. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
© Provided by The Guardian
Damaged railway infrastructure in Kharkiv. Photograph: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Damaged railway infrastructure in Kharkiv. Photograph: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
© Provided by The Guardian
UK MoD: mobilisation is 'admission Russia exhausted supply of willing volunteers'
07:11
The UK’s ministry of defence has issued its daily intelligence briefing about how it sees the situation in Ukraine. It has concentrated today on the consequences of Russia’s partial mobilisation announced yesterday by Vladimir Putin, which it judges unlikely to be effective. It writes:
Russia is likely to struggle with the logistical and administrative challenges of even mustering the 300,000 personnel. It will probably attempt to stand up new formations with many of these troops, which are unlikely to be combat effective for months.
Even this limited mobilisation is likely to be highly unpopular with parts of the Russian population. Putin is accepting considerable political risk in the hope of generating much needed combat power.
The move is effectively an admission that Russia has exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 22 September 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/XL4XfL3qRG
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/8VtmvHnfPb
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 22, 2022
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me on martin.belam@theguardian.com
07:03
Uzbekistan’s state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up and Ukraine said it had captured Uzbeks fighting alongside Russians, Reuters reports.
Those fighting in military conflicts abroad faced criminal prosecution under Uzbek law, the Central Asian nation’s Prosecutor General’s office said in a statement late on Wednesday.
A video circulated in Ukrainian social media this month showed two Uzbeks captured in fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces; the detainees said they had been recruited in Moscow.
Hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks live in or regularly travel to Russia to find work and provide for their families at home; some work illegally and risk being deported.
Russia’s parliament passed a law this week offering fast-track citizenship to foreigners who join its army, part of a broader drive to strengthen the military amid the stalled Ukrainian campaign which also included partial mobilisation.
06:44
Russia is set to face direct pressure at the United Nations on Thursday over its invasion of Ukraine, whose leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to the world to punish Moscow. Agence France-Presse reports.
As global leaders convened for the annual general assembly, the security council will hold a special session among foreign ministers called by France on impunity for rights abuses in Ukraine.
The morning session is expected to bring Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov face to face with top western diplomats including secretary of state Antony Blinken, who has refused a one-on-one meeting since the 24 February invasion.
After two years of pandemic restrictions, only one leader was still allowed to address the assembly virtually – Zelenskiy, who in a pre-recorded video called 15 times for “punishment” of Russia and received a rare standing ovation.
06:43
Liz Truss has dismissed as “sabre-rattling” Vladimir Putin’s warning that Russia will use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself, warning in her UN speech: “This will not work.”
The Russian president’s threats in a televised address to the nation appeared to suggest the conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a nuclear crisis, prompting a furious response from world leaders, led by the US president, Joe Biden.
The new UK prime minister, who addressed the UN in New York hours after a virtual speech by the Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, urged world leaders not to “let up” on dealing with Putin despite domestic concerns about soaring energy prices.
Liz Truss addresses the UN general assembly. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Liz Truss addresses the UN general assembly. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
© Provided by The Guardian
06:43
North Korea has denied it is providing arms to Russia, state media said, weeks after the US said Moscow was turning to Pyongyang to replenish its stocks depleted by invading Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reports.
We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,” an official at the defence ministry’s General Bureau of Equipment said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The statement comes after the White House said earlier in September that Russia was buying artillery shells and rockets from communist North Korea to support its war in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US believed purchases “could include literally millions of rounds, rockets and artillery shells.”
06:43
The partial mobilisation announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin will not generate significant extra combat capability for months, the Institute for the Study of War writes in its latest report. The thinktank’s analysts also believe Putin comments about nuclear weapons did not mean he would use them to defend annexed areas of Ukraine.
Putin’s order to mobilize part of Russia’s “trained” reserve, that is, individuals who have completed their mandatory conscript service, will not generate significant usable Russian combat power for months. It may suffice to sustain the current levels of Russian military manpower in 2023 by offsetting Russian casualties, although even that is not yet clear.
06:42
Ukraine has announced that 215 Ukrainian and foreign citizens have been released by Russia in a prisoner exchange, including fighters who led the defence of Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks that became an icon of Ukrainian resistance.
Russia received 55 prisoners including Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and ally of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, accused of high treason, the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in his daily address.
Medvedchuk was arrested in April, after escaping house arrest on treason charges days after the Russian invasion. At the time, Zelenskiy suggested exchanging him for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia but the Kremlin rejected the offer.
Viktor Medvedchuk after being detained by Ukrainian security forces in April. Photograph: State Security Service/Reuters
Viktor Medvedchuk after being detained by Ukrainian security forces in April. Photograph: State Security Service/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
Nuclear watchdog head meets Lavrov and Kuleba over Zaporizhzhia plant
06:32
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday he met with Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around a nuclear plant in south-eastern Ukraine that is Europe’s largest, AP reports.
The Zaporizhzhia power plant has faced almost daily shelling and bombardment, raising fears of a nuclear accident.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that as a result of the separate meetings with Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, work has already begun on establishing and shaping the zone.
He said he hopes to visit Kyiv soon, and “perhaps later on” go to Russia.
“Given the urgency of the situation and the gravity of what’s going on in the field we have to move fast,” Grossi said. Both nations, he said, share “a conviction that the establishment of the zone is indispensable.”
“The mere fact that the two foreign ministers are sitting down with me and are listening to our ideas, I think it’s a good indicator that there is a very strong solid base for this thing to happen,” he said.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Photograph: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Photograph: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
© Provided by The Guardian
Summary and welcome
06:17
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the war dominated the first in-person UN general assembly meeting in two years, EU foreign ministers agreed on new sanctions on Russia, a major prisoner swap was announced and more than 1,300 Russians were arrested for demonstrating against Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation.
Here are the latest developments, as of 7.30am Kyiv time:
European Union foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday to prepare new sanctions on Russia and increase weapons’ deliveries to Kyiv after President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s first wartime mobilisation since the second world war. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Putin’s announcement – which included moves to annex swaths of Ukrainian territory and a threat to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia – showed panic and desperation.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called on the international community to adopt a five-point formula to achieve peace and security in Ukraine, in a wide-ranging and impassioned televised speech to the UN general assembly on Wednesday. The points include punishment for crimes of aggression, protection of life, restoration of security and territorial integrity, security guarantees and the determination of Ukraine to continue defending itself.
Joe Biden and allied leaders have reacted angrily to Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons and pledged to maintain support for Ukraine. In his speech to the UN on Wednesday, Biden sought to unite the international community in the face of what he called “reckless” threats and “an extremely significant violation” of the UN charter.
More than 1,300 protesters have been arrested in anti-mobilisation rallies that are taking place throughout Russia. According to OVD-Info, more than 1,311 people have been detained in 38 cities across Russia, with most of the detainees in Moscow and St Petersburg.
North Korea has said it has never supplied weapons or ammunition to Russia and does not plan to do so in the future, according to a statement released by the state media service, KCNA.
Russia has released 215 Ukrainians it took prisoner after a protracted battle for the port city of Mariupol earlier this year, including top military leaders, a senior official in Kyiv said. The freed Ukrainians included the commander and deputy commander of the Azov battalion that did much of the fighting, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Russian-occupied Melitipol in Ukraine, has urged local men to evacuate the city amid mobilisation orders from Russia, the Kyiv Independent reports.
Finland said it was working on a federal strategy to “limit or completely prevent” tourism from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. “This national solution may include new legislation, which would be adopted very quickly,” the foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, told a press conference on Wednesday.
Five British nationals held by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine have been safely returned, the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, has said. Among those released was Aiden Aslin, a British-Ukrainian former care worker from Nottinghamshire.
The Saudi foreign ministry said Russia had released 10 foreign prisoners of war captured in Ukraine after mediation by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. US citizens Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh were among those released.
Joe Biden has denounced Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons as “reckless” and “irresponsible” and called Russia’s planned annexation of more regions of Ukraine as “an extremely significant violation” of the UN charter. The US president was speaking to the UN general assembly, where he sought to galvanise the outrage of UN member states at the threat that Putin’s actions and “imperial ambitions” posed to the UN’s founding values.
Earlier on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation in Russia in a significant escalation that places the country’s people and economy on a wartime footing and sent shock waves across Russia. The Russian president said in a televised address that the “partial mobilisation” was a direct response to the dangers posed by the west. According to the decree, the contracts of soldiers fighting in Ukraine will also be extended until the end of the partial mobilisation period.
Liz Truss and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Putin’s speech on Wednesday was “a statement of weakness”. They said in a joint statement following a meeting between the pair in New York that Putin’s calls for partial mobilisation were “a sign that Russia’s invasion is failing”.
Russia fired a series of long-range missiles at Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv early on Wednesday, hours after the Kremlin announced plans to annex Ukrainian territory and to carry out the partial mobilisation. Explosions were heard across Kharkiv at around 2am. At least one missile struck a high-rise apartment in the western Zalutino district. Ten residents were injured.
The security service of Ukraine has released a recording of an intercepted call by a Russian soldier in which he appears to complain about the setbacks faced by Russian troops in recent months. “Locals hate us here. Ours rape local women,” the soldier appeared to say into the phone, adding there was little to no chance of him returning home anytime soon.
Zelenskiy's UN address
05:50
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has shrugged off Russian moves to escalate the war, saying his country’s forces would continue their counteroffensive, not giving Russia breathing space to mobilise and dig in on Ukrainian soil.
“We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms, but we need time,” Zelenskiy said in a recorded broadcast to the UN general assembly on Wednesday, which Russia had tried to stop but was overwhelmingly voted down by member states.
“Russia wants to spend the winter on the occupied territory of Ukraine … It wants to prepare fortifications on occupied land and carry out military mobilisation at home. We cannot agree to a delayed war because it will be even hotter than the war now.”
Zelenskiy laid out what he said were five non-negotiable conditions for peace. These included punishment for Russian aggression, restoration of Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity, and security guarantees.
A crime has been committed against Ukraine, and we demand just punishment,” Zelenskiy told the UN body.
“A special tribunal should be created to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against our state... Russia should pay for this war with its assets,” the Ukrainian president said, urging the UN to “remove the right of veto” from Russia as a Security Council member.
Zelenskiy reminded world leaders of the mass graves being exhumed in the recently liberated town of Izium as the general assembly gathered, saying that among the bodies was a man strangled with a rope, and another who had been castrated before the murder. The Ukrainian president said that was not the first of such atrocities.
He told the global assembly: “Ask, please, the representatives of Russia why the Russian military are so obsessed with castration. What was done to them so that they want to do this to others?”
05:41
Security forces detained more than 1,300 people in Russia on Wednesday at protests denouncing mobilisation, a rights group said, hours after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military draft since the second world war.
The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said that according to information it had collated from 38 Russian cities, more than 1,311 people had been held by late evening.
EU foreign ministers agree on preparing new sanctions
05:35
EU foreign ministers have agreed to prepare new sanctions on Russia and increase weapons’ deliveries to Kyiv, Reuters reports.
The bloc’s 27 foreign ministers are in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Vladimir Putin’s announcement of partial mobilisation – which included moves to annex swaths of Ukrainian territory and a threat to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia – showed panic and desperation.
“It’s clear that Putin is trying to destroy Ukraine,” Borrell told reporters after ministers met to decide how to respond.
After being briefed by Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, the ministers agreed to task their teams to prepare an eighth sanctions package that would target “more relevant sectors of the Russian economy and continue targeting people responsible for the war of aggression in Ukraine,” Borrell said.
EU ministers will hold their next formal meeting in mid-October when a sanctions package could be formalised.
The ministers also agreed to ramp up weapons supplies to Ukraine. Borrell declined to give further details on the type of sanctions or military support, but said he believed there would be “unanimous” support within the bloc for new measures.
05:30
There was never any doubt Russia would respond to its latest military setbacks, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, writes in his latest analysis.
It was inevitable, after Russia’s sudden military reverse near Kharkiv, that Vladimir Putin would respond, announcing a partial mobilisation of extra troops and a fresh bout of sabre-rattling on nuclear weapons a day after announcing plans to hold high-speed annexation referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine.
The timing, on the morning of Joe Biden’s speech to the UN general assembly aimed at rallying support for Ukraine, demonstrates that, to some extent, Putin’s announcements are about news management – to seize the agenda with tenuous claims that Russia is threatened by Nato “nuclear blackmail”.