Ukraine war – live: 436 bodies exhumed from Izium mass grave after Russian withdrawal

Hundreds of bodies have been exhumed from a mass grave in the recaptured town of Izium, the governor of Kharkiv region said.

Oleh Synyehubov told reporters on Friday that 30 of the 436 corpses showed signs of torture.

The mass grave was discovered after Ukrainian troops retook Izium on 10 September. Three others have also been located this month in territory previously occupied by Russian troops, according to Mr Synyehubov.

The exhumation comes as the UN said Russian had committed war crimes in Ukraine, including executions, rape and torture.

Erik Mose, who leads the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that Moscow’s troops were guilty of a “large number” of crimes.

There were only two cases involving Ukrainians’ ill-treatment of Russian soldiers, he added.

In other developments, voting has begun in “sham referendums” in four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The results are expected to be announced on Tuesday and are likely to dramatically escalate the seven-month war, as experts fear Putin will use the referendum results to justify ‘self-defence’.

Key Points

• 436 bodies exhumed from mass grave in Izium, says Ukraine

• Russian deputy foreign minister: Moscow is not threatening anybody with nuclear weapons

• Ukrainians start voting in ‘sham’ referendums to become part of Russia

• Finland traffic on border with Russia remains busy as citizens entering more than doubles

• Putin's mobilisation move shows its regular army crumbled - Zelensky

• Ukraine putting pressure on territory critical to Russia - British MoD

• More than 1,300 arrests at Russian anti-mobilisation protests

West scrambles to bridge North-South divide aggravated by Ukraine war

17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told the General Assembly that the war in Ukraine would hinder “our capacity to work together to resolve conflicts elsewhere, especially in Africa, the Middle-East and Asia.”

He said the war was “making it more difficult to tackle the perennial” U.N. issues, such as nuclear disarmament, the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, Palestinians statehood aspirations and a “reduction of inequalities within and amongst nations.”

Some countries have also called out double standards exposed by how the West has responded to Russia‘s war in Ukraine.

South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor said founding U.N. principles had not always been applied consistently and fairly, describing the problem as: “We believe international law matters when this one is affected, but doesn’t matter when this other one is affected.”

She said global solidarity was needed to meet other challenges such as energy and food insecurity, climate change, other conflicts and the existential threat of nuclear weapons.

“Instead of working collectively to address these challenges, we have grown further apart as geopolitical tensions and mistrust permeate our relations,” Pandor said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda used his U.N. address to tell “a few words of truth to us“ the leaders of the rich North, or – as others might like to put it - of the West.”

He questioned whether the West was “equally resolute during the tragedies of Syria, Libya, Yemen” and whether equal weight was given to condemning the invasion in Ukraine and issues such as “fighting mercenaries who seek to destabilize the Sahel and threaten many other states in Africa?”

“This is how I see the lesson learnt from this war: if the United Nations is truly to be united, every response to violations of international law should be identical - decisive and principled,” Duda said.

436 bodies exhumed from mass grave in Izium, says Ukraine

16:45 , Rory Sullivan

Several weeks after Ukraine recaptured the strategic town of Izium, 436 bodies have been exhumed from a mass grave there, the governor of Kharkiv region said.

On Friday, Oleh Synyehubov told reporters that 30 of the bodies showed signs of torture.

Three other grave sites have been found in areas retaken by the Ukrainian army this month, he added.

France and international partners announce plans to aid food production hit by Ukraine war

16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

France this week convened a meeting with partners including African nations, United Nations bodies and the European Union to urgently address the international food crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine, said the French Elysee presidential palace.

The meeting, held at the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, comes as President Emmanuel Macron this week urged neutral countries - many of which are in the global South - to side with Ukraine and the West.

“Tensions on the food market are more exacerbated than ever in the context of the war in Ukraine,” the French presidency said in a statement, reiterating its warning of a global food crisis caused by the war.

Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, which started in late February, impacted the market for fertilizers and crops, many of which are produced in Ukraine, and this in turn has led to a sharp rise in food prices.

Ukraine was unable to export most of its crops this year due to the war while energy-intensive fertiliser production was severely hit by soaring power prices across the globe.

“The EU recalled the existing exemptions on all agrifood products and the provision of additional guidelines to clarify the applicability of its sanction regime towards Russia,” the Elysee said, adding it also planned to launch an emergency fertilizer purchase mechanism for Africa.

A meeting with chief executives of fertiliser-producing companies will be convened in Paris ahead of the next G20 Summit in mid-November to scale-up production as fast as possible, the Elysee also said.

“Finally, we call on gas producers throughout the world to take responsibility for limiting price increases and ensuring market transparency, which are essential to maintain fertilizer production capacity in all regions of the world,” added the Elysee.

Ukraine will never forgive Russia - Russian Nobel laureate

16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine will never forgive Russia for a shameful conflict which has thrown back Russia‘s development by half a century to Soviet times predating Mikhail Gorbachev, journalist and Nobel Peace laureate Dmitry Muratov told Reuters.

Russia‘s military campaign in Ukraine has killed tens of thousands, left some Ukrainian cities wastelands and triggered Moscow’s biggest confrontation with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Muratov, the long-time editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, one of the last independent media outlets in Russia, said Ukraine would never agree to peace or to the annexation of any of its territory.

“Ukraine will never forgive Russia,” Muratov, who co-founded Novaya Gazeta in 1993 with money from Gorbachev’s Nobel Peace Prize, said in an interview in his office, which is adorned with ice hockey sticks and dozens of front pages from the paper.

Muratov said that modern technology had brought the horrors of the war home to people, along with the devastation of the battle for Mariupol in southern Ukraine and the claims of war crimes against Russian soldiers in Irpin and Bucha.

“You many want to forgive everything, but you click in the search engine: Mariupol, Irpin or Bucha. And you can’t forgive a goddamn thing anymore,” Muratov said. “Every step of this war, every crime and every shot, every torn scrotum will now remain forever.”

Ukraine has accused Russia of war crimes. Russia says such accusations are a lie. The Russian government did not respond to a request for comment on Muratov’s remarks.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia‘s soldiers are “heroes” and that all Russia‘s aims will be achieved.

Putin casts the operation in Ukraine as an attempt to foil a Western plot to rip Russia apart. Ukraine says it is fighting an illegal occupation and will never give in.

‘I don’t want to die’: Russians continue exodus after Putin’s call-up orders to join Ukraine war

15:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Some 7,000 people entered Finland from Russia on Thursday, a more than 100 per cent increase on the same day the week before, the latest figures from officials in Helsinki have revealed.

The exodus comes in the days after Vladimir Putin announced mobilisation of reservists for the war in Ukraine, with some reports that up to one million people will be called up.

Amid grim scenes of farewell across Russia, traffic at Vaalimaa, the busiest crossing point between the two countries was busy on Fridau, with cars lined up for up to 400 metres, a longer queue than the day before, a border official said.

Read more here:

‘I don’t want to die’: Russians continue exodus after Putin’s call-up order

Berlusconi, on eve of Italian election, says Putin was ‘pushed into war’ with Ukraine

14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian president Vladimir Putin was “pushed” into invading Ukraine to put “decent people” in charge, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has controversially claimed, just days before an Italian general election where his party could help form the new government.

The comments by Berlusconi - whose Forza Italia party belongs to a right-wing coalition expected to win the Sunday’s general election - are likely to alarm Western allies.

“Putin was pushed by the Russian people, by his party, by his ministers to come up with this special operation,” Berlusconi told Italian public television RAI late on Thursday, using the official Russian wording for the war.

Berlusconi, on eve of Italy election, says Putin was ‘pushed into Ukraine war’

Russian deputy foreign minister: Moscow is not threatening anybody with nuclear weapons

14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday that Moscow was not threatening anybody with nuclear weapons and that open confrontation with the United States and NATO was not in Russia‘s interests, Russian state news agencies reported.

Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine, including executions and sexual violence, says UN

13:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Electric shocks, forced nudity and executions are some of the war crimes committed in Russian detention centres in Ukraine, the UN’s human rights body have found.

Testimonies from former detainees revealed shocking accounts of human rights violations in the facilities, and expressed grave concerns about executions in the four regions.

The investigators of the Members of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine visited 27 towns and settlements in four of the worst hit regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy.

Read more here:

Putin’s Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine, says UN

Watch: Berlusconi says Putin wanted to replace Ukraine government with 'decent people'

13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin was “pushed” into invading Ukraine and wanted to put “decent people” in charge of Kyiv, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has said, drawing fierce criticism just ahead of Italy’s election.

The Italian leader, whose Forza Italia party belongs to a right-wing coalition expected to win the general election on Sunday, is a long-time friend of Putin and his comments are likely to alarm Western allies.

Panic exodus is good sign that many Russians don’t want to join Ukraine war, Germany says

13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Germany said on Friday many Russians being called up to fight in the war in Ukraine do not want to take part, adding that this was welcome.

“Many Russians who are now being called up do not want to take part in this war either. This is a good sign,” a government spokesperson told a regular news conference.

“A way must be left open for Russians to come to Europe and also to Germany,” the spokesperson added.

More than 1 million Ukrainians may have been deported, U.S. envoy says

12:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A U.S. envoy said that Russia has forcibly deported between 900,000-1.6 million Ukrainians, citing unnamed sources, and urged a U.N.-mandated commission of inquiry to investigate.

“We urge the commissioners to continue to examine the growing evidence of Russia‘s filtration operations, forced deportations and disappearances,” U.S. Ambassador Michele Taylor told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, referring to a commission of inquiry into Ukraine.

“Numerous sources indicate that Russian authorities have interrogated, detained and forcible deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens,” she said.

Kazakhstan reports higher influx of Russians amid conscription

12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Kazakhstan has seen an increased number of arrivals from neighbouring Russia, Kazakh authorities said on Friday, after Moscow announced a conscription drive this week the war in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered Russia‘s first mobilisation since World War Two and backed a plan to annex swathes of Ukraine, prompting an exodus of conscription-age men from the country.

Four of 30 road checkpoints on the Russian-Kazakh border - the world’s second-longest - were particularly congested, Kazakhstan’s border guard service said in a statement, without providing any numbers on arrivals.

A witness who asked not to be named, fearing for his safety, told Reuters they had been in a queue at a border checkpoint since Thursday morning and saw unusually heavy traffic from the Russian side and lengthy, thorough checks of Russian cars by Russian border guards.

Many of those seeking to cross the border were men who appeared to be of conscription age, under 35, the witness said.

Switzerland condemns "sham referendums" in Ukraine, summons Russian ambassador

11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

“Sham referendums” currently taking place in Ukrainian territories partially occupied by Russia are illegal under international law, the Swiss government said today.

The Swiss foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador over the matter on Thursday, the government said, adding that it would consider joining the European Union in imposing new sanctions on Russia.

Ukrainians start voting in ‘sham’ referendums to become part of Russia

11:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Voting has begun in hastily-organised and highly-disputed referendums in four occupied regions of Ukraine to become part of Russia.

State media in Moscow said voting got underway - in the “liberated territories” of Luhansk, Kherson and the partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions - at 8am local time.

The results are expected to be announced on Tuesday and are likely to dramatically escalate the seven-month war.

Our international editor David Harding has more:

Ukrainians start voting in ‘sham’ referendums to become part of Russia

Russia excludes some IT professionals, bankers and state journalists from mobilisation

10:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Some Russian technology professionals, bankers, and journalists at state media outlets will be not be called up to serve in Ukraine as part of Russia‘s mobilisation drive, the defence ministry said on Friday in a statement.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier this week Russia would seek to call up 300,000 additional troops for Russia‘s war in Ukraine in what the Kremlin has called a “partial mobilisation”.

The section of the official decree announcing mobilisation which included the number of people who would be drafted was kept classified and unpublished, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He rejected a report by the independent Novaya Gazeta paper on Thursday, citing a government source, that said the Kremlin is actually seeking to recruit up to one million people for the campaign.

The defence ministry said some employees working in critically important industries would be excluded from the draft in a bid to “ensure the work of specific high-tech industries, as well as Russia‘s financial system” is unaffected by Russia‘s first military mobilisation since World War Two.

The exceptions apply to some IT workers, telecommunications workers, finance professionals, as well as some employees at “systemically-important” mass media outlets, the ministry said in a statement.

It said heads of companies should draw up lists of their employees who meet the criteria and can be excluded from the draft.

ICYMI- Russia could draft ‘up to one million soldiers’ to fight in Ukraine

10:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moscow is looking to mobilise up to one million reservists for the Ukraine war, not 300,000, according to Russian media reports.

A secret clause in Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “partial” mobilisation decree permits the Kremlin to draft far more soldiers taht was announced, a source told the Novaya Gazeta Europe newspaper.

“They changed the figure several times and eventually settled on a million,” the source said.

My colleague Rory Sullivan has more:

Russia could draft ‘up to one million soldiers’ to fight in Ukraine

Justifying ‘self-defence’: Votes seen as paving the way for Russian escalation

09:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

By incorporating the four areas voting today into Russia, Moscow could justify military escalation as necessary to defend its territory.

Vladimir Putin said Russia would “use all the means at our disposal” to protect itself, an apparent reference to nuclear weapons. “This is not a bluff,” he said.

“Encroachment onto Russian territory is a crime which allows you to use all the forces of self-defence,” Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia‘s president from 2008 to 2012, said in a post on Telegram.

Referendum results in favour of Russia are considered inevitable. The vote in Crimea in 2014, criticised internationally as rigged, had an official result of 97 per cent in favour of formal annexation.

ICYMI- Number of Russians crossing border has ‘intensified’ after Putin’s mobilisation order, Finland says

09:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The number of Russians crossing the Finnish border “intensified” overnight after Vladimir Putin’s dramatic announcement that Moscow would begin military mobilisation for the war in Ukraine, officials in Helsinki said.

The Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, told Reuters that 4,824 Russians had arrived in Finland via the eastern border on Wednesday, up from 3,133 on the same day a week earlier.

On Wednesday there were reports of flights to countries including Turkey and Georgia selling out after the Russian leader spoke.

“Traffic at the Finnish-Russian border intensified during the night,” said Pitkaniitty. “The number clearly has picked up.”

Border queues and flights sell out as Kremlin denies Russians fleeing

Britons freed from Russian captivity in Ukraine ‘evacuated by Roman Abramovich on his luxury jet’

08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A British prisoner of war held by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine has expressed his disbelief on being welcomed by Roman Abramovich on his luxury jet.

John Harding is one of the five British prisoners who were released after Saudi Arabia brokered an exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

The British nationals had an emotional return to the UK after spending six months in captivity by Russian separatists.

The former Chelsea club owner “treated them like royalty” in a drastic switch from their previous life of being beaten regularly in cramped cells.

My colleague Shweta Sharma has more:

Britons freed from Russian captivity in Ukraine ‘welcomed by Roman Abramovich on jet’

Finland says traffic on border with Russia remains busy

07:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Traffic into Finland across its southeastern border with Russia continues to be busy, the country’s border guard told Reuters on Friday, adding that the number of Russian citizens entering more than doubled on Thursday compared to the week before.

Finland is considering barring most Russians from entering the country as traffic arriving from its eastern neighbour “intensified” on Thursday following president Vladimir Putin’s order for a partial military mobilisation.

“This morning it remains busy ... maybe increasing a little bit from yesterday,” a spokesperson for the border guard said early on Friday.

The queue was longest at the busy Vaalimaa crossing with cars lining up for around 500 metres, which was longer than on Thursday, the spokesperson said. Lines were also “longer than normally” at the second-biggest Nuijamaa crossing.

Russia referendums: Moscow-held regions of Ukraine vote whether to join Russia

07:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Voting has begun in Moscow-held regions of Ukraine on referendums to become part of Russia, Russian-backed officials there said.

The Kremlin-orchestrated referendums, which have been widely denounced by Ukraine and the West as shams without any legal force, are seen as a step toward annexing the territories by Russia.

The votes are being held in the Luhansk, partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. In Kherson, which is almost fully controlled by Moscow, the balloting was also expected to get underway on Friday morning.

The vote, which asks residents if they want their regions to be part of Russia, is certain to go Moscow’s way.

That would give Russia the pretext to claim that attempts by Ukrainian forces to regain control are attacks on Russia itself, dramatically escalating the 7-month-old conflict.

The referendums follow President Vladimir Putin’s order of a partial mobilization, which could add some 300,000 Russian troops to the fight.

Polls also opened in Russia, where refugees from the occupied regions can cast their votes.

Denis Pushilin, separatist leader of Moscow-backed authorities in the Donetsk region, called the referendum on Friday “a historical milestone.”

'Britain needs a strategy for standing with Ukraine – for as long as it takes'

07:00 , Arpan Rai

A long-term strategy will reassure Ukrainians and send an unequivocal message to Putin that Britain will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to see off Russian aggression, writes John Healey, the shadow defence secretary and Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne.

Such a plan would be the best response to Russia’s latest escalation in rhetoric, and the best way Britain can help ensure Ukraine wins and Putin’s invasion really does end in failure, he writes.

Read the full article here:

Read the full story here:

Opinion: Britain needs a strategy for standing with Ukraine – for as long as it takes

Ukraine putting pressure on territory critical to Russia - British MoD

06:37 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine is now adding pressure on Moscow by fighting for territory seen as critical to Russia, the British defence ministry said today.

“The battlefield situation remains complex, but Ukraine is now putting pressure on territory Russia considers essential to its war aims,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update on the war in Ukraine.

It added: “In the last three days, Ukrainian forces have secured bridgeheads on the east bank of the Oskil river in Kharkiv oblast.

Russia has attempted to integrate the Oskil into a consolidated defensive line following its forces’ withdrawal earlier in the month.”

“To the south, in Donetsk oblast, fighting is ongoing as Ukrainian forces assault the town of Lyman, east of the Siverskyy Donets river, which Russia captured in May,” the ministry added.

Ukraine presses ahead with offensive against Russia

06:29 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian troops continue to advance their military counteroffensive against Russia, claiming this resulted in “losses” among Moscow’s military leadership.

A shelling attack by Ukraine wounded a Russian general in the Luhansk region, the Ukrainian general staff said today.

“The enemy continues to suffer losses, in particular among the leadership,” it said on Friday.

Russia has reportedly lost several high-ranking commanders during the seven-month war.

Ukrainian soldiers have repelled Russian attacks in the areas of Kupyansk, Spirne, Mayorsk, Zaitseve, Avdiivka, Novomykhailivka, Opytne and Kamianka settlements, the official added.

Referendum begins in Ukraine’s separatist regions today

06:02 , Arpan Rai

Four regions in Ukraine occupied by Russian-backed forces will start voting Friday in referendums led by the Kremlin seeking to become a part of Russia.

The voting process is spread out over five days and will take place in the absence of independent monitors, amid widespread concern that the result will be rigged in favour of Russia.

If Moscow gains these territories — cumulatively amounting to around 15 per cent of Ukraine — by next week, Moscow is expected to annex these areas and intensify its military offensive against Ukraine from there.

Volodymyr Zelensky has called the referendums “noise” to distract the public.

18 Russian soldiers killed, howitzers and tanks destroyed - Ukraine military

04:46 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian troops killed 18 Russian troops, officials from the country’s southern operational command said in the latest war update.

At least 18 Russian troops were killed, and three Msta-S and Msta-B howitzers, two tanks, and two armored vehicles were destroyed on Thursday, the military unit said, reported The Kyiv Independent.

Russia’s mobilisation move shows its regular army crumbled - Zelensky

04:22 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Vladimir Putin’s decision to announce partial mobilisation in Moscow is a “frank admission” of the Russian army’s failure in its war against Ukraine.

“Russia’s decision on mobilisation is a frank admission that their regular army, which has been prepared for decades to take over a foreign country, did not withstand and crumbled,” he said in his nightly address on Thursday.

The war has swept into every Russian’s home, he added.

“And now, due to mobilisation, Russia’s war against Ukraine for the majority of Russian citizens is not something on TV or on the Internet, but something that has entered every Russian home,” Mr Zelensky said.

Britons home with families after ‘traumatic experience’

03:10 , Jane Dalton

In case you missed it: Britons released by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine thanked supporters as they flew back to Britain. All five have now all returned home:

Britons held by Russian forces in Ukraine arrive home after ‘traumatic experience’

Tearful farewells for Russian reservists and families

02:20 , Jane Dalton

Families have bid a tearful farewell to men leaving from military mobilisation centres in Russia.Video footage from the eastern Siberian city of Neryungri showed men emerging from a stadium. Before boarding buses, they hugged family members waiting outside, many crying and some covering their mouths with their hands in grief.

A man held a child up to the window of one bus for a last look.In Moscow, women hugged, cried and made the sign of the cross on men at another mobilisation point.

A 25-year-old who gave only his first name, Dmitry, received a hug from his father, who told him “Be careful,” as they parted.Dmitry told Russian media company Ostorozhno Novosti he did not expect to be called up and shipped out so quickly, especially since he still is a student.“No one told me anything in the morning. They gave me the draft notice that I should come here at 3 pm. We waited 1.5 hours, then the enlistment officer came and said that we are leaving now,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh great!’ I went outside and started calling my parents, brother, all friends of mine to tell that they take me.”

How Western allies helped secure Britons’ release

01:30 , Jane Dalton

Months of secret international negotiations lay behind the release of captured British and Ukrainian fighters.

Also released were more than 200 fighters from the Azov Battalion.

In return, Moscow received 55 prisoners, including Vladimir Putin’s friend Viktor Medvedchuk, writes Kim Sengupta:

How Western allies helped secure release of Britons captured in Ukraine

Why Moscow is calling referendums

Friday 23 September 2022 00:40 , Jane Dalton

Four occupied regions in Ukraine are set to start voting Friday in Kremlin-engineered referendums on whether to become part of Russia. Here’s why:

EXPLAINER: What's behind referendums in occupied Ukraine?

Tailbacks at border crossings amid ‘panic’ for tickets

Thursday 22 September 2022 23:50 , Jane Dalton

Long tailbacks have formed at border crossings from Russia into Georgia as Russian men continued to try to escape the country.

One news site in Russian gave a list of “where to run away right now from Russia”.

A Russian man, who gave his name only as Vasily, travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, with his wife, teenage daughter and six suitcases.

“The mobilisation was inevitable because there was a shortage of human resources. I am not worried because I’m already 59 years old and my son lives abroad,” he said.

A lorry driver who crossed the Russian-Kazakh border on Thursday said he saw unusually heavy traffic from the Russian side.

A tourism industry source said there was desperation as people sought to find air tickets out of Russia.

“This is panic demand from people who are afraid they won’t be able to leave the country later - people are buying tickets not caring where they fly to,” the source said.

Exodus reports exaggerated, Russia insists

Thursday 22 September 2022 23:00 , Jane Dalton

Russia says reports of a mass exodus from the country are exaggerated.

Dmitri Peskov, President Putin’s press secretary, said: “The information about the hype at airports and so on is very much exaggerated ... There is a lot of fake information about this. We need to be very careful about this so as not to become a victim of false information on this matter.”

Russian news agencies reported that 10,000 people had volunteered to fight even before their call-up papers had arrived, citing the Russian General Staff.

President Putin’s defence minister says the reserve mobilisation is intended to enlist about 300,000 men.

Anti-war protests in 38 Russian cities led to more than 1,300 arrests on Wednesday, a monitoring group said.

Some of the detainees had been ordered to report to enlistment offices on Thursday, the first full day of conscription, independent news outlets said. More rallies are planned for the weekend.

UN chief warns of ‘endless' horror and bloodshed

Thursday 22 September 2022 22:10 , Jane Dalton

The UN secretary-general has warned that the latest developments in the war in Ukraine are a step closer to an “endless cycle of horror and bloodshed”.

Antonio Guterres branded Russia’s nuclear threats against the West “totally unacceptable” during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Watch here:

UN chief deems Russia’s ‘disturbing’ nuclear threats as ‘totally unacceptable’

Plane tickets out of Moscow sell out even at record prices

Thursday 22 September 2022 21:20 , Jane Dalton

Prices of one-way air tickets from Moscow have rocketed as Russian men continued to head to the country’s borders after Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation.

Plane tickets out of the capital to the nearest foreign locations soared above $5,000 (£4,440), with most airline seats sold out completely for the coming days.

Traffic at frontier crossings with Finland also continued to surge, and social media groups popped up with advice on how to get out of Russia.

“War is horrible,” Sergei, a Russian who declined to give his surname, told Reuters as he arrived in Belgrade, the Serbian capital. “It’s okay to be afraid of war and of death and such things.”

One Russian man who gave his name as Alex said he had left Russia partly due to the mobilisation.

“The partial mobilisation is one of the reasons why I am here,” he said. “A very poor step it seems to be, and it can lead to lots of problems to lots of Russians.”

He said he felt not many Russians would want to be sent to fight.

Released hostage ‘in good spirits after harrowing time'

Thursday 22 September 2022 20:30 , Jane Dalton

The family of Shaun Pinner, one of five Britons captured in Ukraine by pro-Russian forces who have returned to the UK, said it has been a harrowing time for him.

In a statement released by the Foreign Office, the family said: “We would like to thank everybody involved in Shaun‘s release, especially all at the Foreign Office, Liz Truss and her team, Boris Johnson and President Zelensky.

“Shaun would also like to thank the hospitality of the Saudi Government and Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud who also assisted in the negotiations for his freedom.

“It’s a very emotional time as you can expect and we are unable to currently discuss so early in his release any details fully. It’s been a harrowing time for Shaun and our family which has now had such a happy resolution.

“Shaun is in good spirits and still has his sense of humour intact. He is looking forward to steak and a glass of red wine tonight.

“We are now enjoying some family time and would appreciate the privacy at this moment.”

At least seven people reportedly killed in missile strikes

Thursday 22 September 2022 19:45 , Jane Dalton

Russian and Ukrainian forces have exchanged missile and artillery barrages as both sides refused to concede ground.

Russian missile strikes in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia left one person dead and five wounded, Ukrainian officials said.

Officials in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk said Ukrainian shelling killed at least six people.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy of the Ukrainian president’s office, said a hotel in Zaporizhzhia was hit and rescuers were trying to free people trapped in rubble.

The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Oleksandr Starukh, said Russian forces targeted infrastructure and damaged apartment buildings.

Vladimir Putin has begun calling up reserve troops to supplement his forces.

Russia ‘could draft up to one million soldiers’

Thursday 22 September 2022 19:00 , Jane Dalton

Moscow is looking to mobilise up to one million reservists for the war, not 300,000, according to Russian media reports.

A secret clause in Vladimir Putin’s “partial” mobilisation decree permits the Kremlin to draft far more soldiers than was announced, a source said:

Russia could draft ‘up to one million soldiers’ to fight in Ukraine

Cleverly calls on nations to reject Putin’s ‘sham’ referenda

Thursday 22 September 2022 18:30 , Jane Dalton

James Cleverly called on countries to reject the “charade” of referenda he said Vladimir Putin will use to annex swaths of Ukrainian territory and further escalate his aggression.

He told the Security Council: “Today I have listened to further instalments of Russia’s catalogues of distortions, dishonesty and disinformation.

“He’s left the chamber. I’m not surprised. I don’t think Mr Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council.”

Mr Cleverly argued that Moscow planned to fix the results of referenda on becoming parts of Russia due to be held in Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine.

He said: “We have information which means that we know that Russia is about to hold sham referenda on sovereign Ukrainian territory with no basis in law under the threat of violence after mass displacements of people in areas that voted overwhelmingly for Ukrainian independence.

“We know what Vladimir Putin is doing. He is planning to fabricate the outcome of those referenda, he is planning to use that to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory, and he is planning to use it as a further pretext to escalate his aggression.

“We call on all countries to reject this charade and to refuse to recognise any results.”

Russia is outnumbered on the Security Council, but any meaningful action on Ukraine by the 15-member body has been hampered because it is a veto-wielding permanent member.

Thursday 22 September 2022 18:00 , Jane Dalton

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says the “devastating consequences” of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine are becoming clearer by the day.

“Every day the devastating consequences of Russia’s invasion become more clear,” he told a special foreign minister-level meeting of the UN Security Council.

“We see the mounting evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians, including indiscriminate shelling and targeted attacks on over 200 medical facilities and 40 educational institutions and horrific acts of sexual violence,” he said.

He said in parts of Ukraine under Russian control, civilians are subject to torture, arbitrary detention and forced deportation to Russia.

Blinken calls on countries to tell Russia to end nuclear threats

Thursday 22 September 2022 17:25 , Jane Dalton

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on every UN Security Council member to “send a clear message” to Russia that it must stop its nuclear threats in the war in Ukraine.

Mr Blinken condemned Russia’s invasion and pressed other countries to join in Washington’s forceful condemnations of the conflict.

He listed atrocities he said were committed by Russia — and suggested that more could come.

“Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” he said.

The Security Council has held dozens of contentious meetings on Ukraine since the war began in February, but today’s meeting had special stature: It was held during the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders and brought multiple foreign ministers to the table.

Lavrov claims Russian culture victim of Ukrainian attacks

Thursday 22 September 2022 16:47 , Jane Dalton

Russian books are being destroyed in Ukraine and Russian is being removed from the school curriculum, the Russian foreign minister has claimed.

Russo-phobic statements have gone unpunished, Sergei Lavrov told the UN Security Council.

Ukraine is strengthening its crackdown on dissidents and Russian TV channels have been closed, he said.

“We have no doubt Ukraine has become a totalitarian Nazi-like state,” claimed Mr Lavrov, in a rambling speech that touched on “neo-Nazi formations” and slated the West for providing equipment to Kyiv. It was “overt racism”, he claimed.

And there were no military targets in Donetsk, but peaceful citizens had been targeted by Ukrainian shelling.

Voices | Britain needs a strategy for standing with Ukraine – for as long as it takes

Thursday 22 September 2022 16:07 , Andy Gregory

Writing in The Independent, Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey warns that Vladimir Putin’s announcements yesterday “show he believes he can still bully the West into accepting the long-term Russian retention of illegally-occupied Ukrainian territory”.

He writes: “Our Western leadership challenge is to demonstrate we will stand with Ukraine for the long-term and we will face down such intimidation.”

“ ... A long-term strategy will reassure Ukrainians and send an unequivocal message to Putin that Britain will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to see off Russian aggression. This is the best response to Russia’s latest escalation in rhetoric, and the best way we can help ensure Ukraine wins and Putin’s invasion really does end in failure.”

You can read his thinking in full here:

Opinion: Britain needs a strategy for standing with Ukraine – for as long as it takes

Watch: Liz Truss tells UN Putin is ‘trying to justify his catastrophic failures'

Thursday 22 September 2022 15:51 , Andy Gregory

Liz Truss has pledged that the UK will continue to support Ukraine during a speech at the UN general assembly, warning that “we cannot let up on dealing with the crisis”.

“No one is threatening Russia, yet as we meet here this evening, in Ukraine barbarous weapons are being used to kill and maim people,” the prime minister said. “Rape is being used as an instrument of war and families are being torn apart.

“And this morning we have seen Putin trying to justify his catastrophic failures.”

Putin’s ‘sabre-rattling’ designed to ‘deter West from supporting Ukraine'

Thursday 22 September 2022 15:28 , Andy Gregory

Pressed in the Commons about Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats, UK defence minister James Heappey described it as the “act of a desperate man who knows this is not going his way”.

Asked if the UK believes Mr Putin is bluffing, the minister said: “The government’s exact intelligence assessment is not something to be shared in the House.”

But he added: “We believe that it is sabre-rattling and we believe it is designed to try and put a wedge amongst the cohesion of the Western alliance and to deter us from supporting Ukraine at the exact moment Ukrainian troops seem to have the upper hand.”

Questioned about Nato’s response if Russia does use one of its weapons, Mr Heappey said: “I’m not going to discuss nuclear doctrine at the despatch box.”

Estimated 25,000 Russians killed in Putin’s war, UK defence minister says

Thursday 22 September 2022 15:12 , Andy Gregory

The UK believes that 25,000 Russians have been killed in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Speaking in the Commons earlier, defence minister James Heappey told MPs that Russia “lacks sufficient manpower in the field to achieve its objectives”, adding: “Not only do Russian casualties continue to climb, with an estimated 25,000 Russian dead, but tens of thousands have been injured and tens of thousands more have already deserted.

“Russia’s war machine is now severely depleted with more than 3,000 armoured and protected vehicles destroyed, more than 400 artillery pieces decimated and scores of fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and UAVs downed.

“Seven months into this conflict, Russia lacks sufficient manpower in the field to achieve any of its objectives and the mood of Moscow is changing quickly.”

Analysis | How Western allies helped secure release of Britons captured in Ukraine

Thursday 22 September 2022 15:07 , Andy Gregory

Months of secret international negotiations lay behind the release of captured British and Ukrainian fighters this week, the largest prisoner swap of the war so far.

A Western official told The Independent that it “became very clear that the Russians were very keen to get Medvedchuk as part of any agreement, they were pretty adamant”, adding: “It seemed Putin felt he had a duty to get him out.

“There was a lot of discussion in Kyiv about this. They obviously saw him as a major bargaining tool.”

Our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta has the full report here:

How Western allies helped secure release of Britons captured in Ukraine

Putin’s dramatic moves ‘spur’ Germany to continue supporting Ukraine

Thursday 22 September 2022 14:04 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s partial mobilisation and the planned referenda in occupied parts of Ukraine will not dampen Germany’s military backing for Kyiv, the country’s defence minister has said.

“Rather, this reaction from Putin to Ukraine’s successes spurs us on to continue to support Ukraine and send this clear signal,” Christine Lambrecht said in Berlin following a meeting with her French counterpart.

Teenager among six killed in strike on Donetsk market

Thursday 22 September 2022 13:55 , Andy Gregory

A teenager was among at least six civilians killed in a missile strike on the centre of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Russian-backed authorities have alleged.

Both sides have blamed each other for the strike on a covered market in the centre of the regional capital of Donetsk, which is about to hold a so-called referendum on joining Russia.

“Ukraine’s military are firing on the centre of Donetsk,” the military headquarters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said on social media.

A Reuters journalist at the scene saw the body of a teenager and four others, along with several wounded citizens.

“According to the information received, six people were killed and six people were injured,” Alexei Kulemzin, the Russian-installed mayor of Donetsk, claimed in a post on his Telegram channel.

Zelensky hails ‘superheroes’ freed in Russian prisoner swap

Thursday 22 September 2022 13:41 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the “superhero” Ukrainian commanders, including those who led the defence of Mariupol, who were freed by Russia as part of a huge and unexpected prisoner swap.

Under the terms of the deal, which Turkey helped broker, 215 Ukrainians – most captured after the fall of the port city – were released on Wednesday. In exchange, Ukraine sent back 55 Russians and pro-Moscow Ukrainians.

“Five superheroes have been exchanged for 55 of those who deserve neither compassion nor pity,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address, welcoming the broader release as “a victory for the country”.

EU ‘will need joint position on Russians fleeing war'

Thursday 22 September 2022 13:27 , Andy Gregory

The European Union will need to establish a joint position on requests for entry by Russians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, the bloc’s executive has said.

However, member states will have to assess requests on a case-by-case basis, taking into account fundamental rights and asylum procedure legislation, the European Commission said.

“There have been protests in a number of cities across Russia,” Commission spokesperson Peter Stano told a news briefing. “This is showing that the Russians are voting with their feet.”

“We as the European Union, in principle we stand in solidarity with the Russian citizens who have the courage and bravery to show their opposition to what the regime is doing, especially when it comes to this illegal war in Ukraine,” he added.

Baltic nations refuse asylum for Russians fleeing Putin’s war

Thursday 22 September 2022 13:12 , Andy Gregory

The three Baltic states have said they are not prepared to automatically offer asylum to Russians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s partial military mobilisation order, instead hoping that discontent with the Kremlin will grow in Russia.

In Latvia, foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics said his country would not issue humanitarian or other visas to Russians seeking to avoid mobilisation, citing security reasons.

“We must not give in to (Mr Putin’s) blackmail and must support Ukraine as much as we can. Russia today is as dangerous to Europe and world peace as Nazi Germany was in the last century,” said Mr Rinkevics, according to the Baltic News Service (BNS).

Meanwhile, Lithuanian defence minister Arvydas Anusauskas said “being drafted into the army is not enough” of a reason for Russians to get asylum in his country, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, telling the Associated Press: “Political asylum is granted to those who are persecuted for their beliefs” or other similar reasons.

Yesterday, Estonian interior minister Lauri Laanemets called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “the collective responsibility of Russian citizens” and said allowing in those fleeing possible army service would violate European Union sanctions aimed at Moscow.

Moscow protesters shout 'send Putin to the trenches'

Thursday 22 September 2022 13:00 , Andy Gregory

More than 1,300 people were arrested in at least 39 cities across Russia yesterday as Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation order sparked the first mass anti-war protests in months.

Crowds in Moscow – where at least 530 people were detained – could be heard chanting “send Putin to the trenches”.

Captured British nationals released by Russian-backed forces return to UK

Thursday 22 September 2022 12:30 , Andy Gregory

Five British nationals released by Russian-backed forces have landed safely in the UK.

The Presidium Network, which is supporting one of their families and helping get aid to Kyiv, said that Shaun Pinner, Aiden Aslin, John Harding, Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill had been reunited with their families on Thursday morning.

“We know they’re safely in the UK and [have] been reunited with their families,” said Presidium co-founder Dominik Byrne. “We don’t know exactly if they’ve all returned back to their homes yet, but we do know they’re with families at the moment.”

Kremlin does not deny protesters served with draft papers

Thursday 22 September 2022 11:58 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has insisted that reports of an exodus of draft-age men following Vladimir Putin's announcement of a partial mobilisation are “exaggerated”.

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.”