It is the 215th day of war in Ukraine. Fourth day of voting in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian provinces of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia; according to the Russian state news agency Tass, the first exit polls reveal that 93% of the ballots are in favor of joining Russia on the first day of the referendum in the Zaporizhzhia region. The Council of the Russian Federation, the upper house of Parliament, could vote on the annexation of the occupied Ukrainian territories on 29 September. The next day, President Putin is scheduled to speak to the Federal Assembly, the joint session of both houses of Parliament. It would thus in fact be a replica of what already happened with Crimea in 2014.
Moscow is about to ban enlisted men from leaving the country. The ban could come into effect on September 28, the day after the referendum in Ukrainian regions controlled by Kremlin troops. For now there are no official confirmations. After the announcement of the partial mobilization to send reinforcements to Ukraine, panic immediately spread among the Russians also over the possible closure of the borders. Protest of mothers and wives in Yakutia and Dagestan, where policemen have been put on the run.
The specter of nuclear power stirred up by Putin triggers the American reaction. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States has “communicated directly, privately, at the highest level, to the Kremlin that the use of nuclear weapons will have catastrophic consequences for Russia, that the United States and our allies will respond decisively ».
The Patriarch of Moscow reassures and encourages the faithful: «Whoever loses his life by fulfilling his duty sacrifices himself for others. Dying in war washes away all sins ». Putin also asked for support from Russian Jews on the occasion of the Jewish New Year: “Give your contribution to the country,” said the Kremlin leader.
The report – Ukraine, a blood referendum in the territories occupied by Moscow
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00.01 – Financial Times: conventional response from NATO if Moscow uses the atomic bomb
Western countries are developing plans in the event that Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine and the most likely answer appears to be the use of conventional rather than nuclear weapons. This is what they revealed to the Financial Times five Western officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the dossier. Two sources told the City newspaper that a nuclear attack on Ukraine is unlikely to provoke a specular response from the West but assured that it would be followed by retaliatory measures using conventional weapons to “punish Russia”. Three of the five sources then stated that the authorities of some NATO countries have privately communicated their position in Moscow, describing the extent of the reaction in the event that Russia uses nuclear weapons. The interlocutors of the Financial Times they stressed that they see the threat of retaliation as the best deterrent against such a scenario. “We delivered a similar message in private,” explained a US source, according to which the “impact” that the use of the atomic weapon would have “in terms of Russia’s position as rogue state ”and“ our answer ”.
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