An attack by Ukraine on annexed regions would be considered an attack on Russia, the Kremlin said as it prepared to takeover chunks of its neighbouring country.
Vladimir Putin is set to formally declare parts of southern and eastern Ukraine as Russian territory on Friday amid international outcry over the move.
Western leaders have said this annexation would be illegal and they would not recognise the four regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – as part of Russia.
Referendums were held last week over whether these Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine should become part of territory. They were considered a sham by Ukraine and western allies.
Mr Putin is set to make a speech and host a ceremony for the annexation expected to become official in Russia on Friday.
Meanwhile in Zaporizhzhia, at least 25 people have been killed and 50 injured in a Russian missile strike on a humanitarian convoy.
Key Points
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Attack on annexed regions would be attack on Russia, Kremlin says
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Over 20 killed in Russian strike on civilian convoy in Ukraine
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Images from deadly Russian strike on civilian convoy
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Putin recognises independence of two Ukrainian regions
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43 Russian soldiers killed, two fighter jets downed – Ukraine
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Putin to deliver major speech today after claiming four Ukrainian regions
Attack on annexed regions would be attack on Russia, Kremlin says
11:49 , Zoe Tidman
The Kremlin has warned it would consider an attack by Ukraine on regions set to be annexed an attack against Russia itself.
“It would not be anything else,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said.
It came as Ukraine and the West refused to recognise the annexation of four regions in Ukraine that was set to go ahead on Friday.
Finland closes border to Russians with tourist visas
11:50 , Zoe Tidman
Finland’s border with Russia has closed to Russians with tourist visas, curtailing one of the last easily accessible routes to Europe for Russians trying to flee military mobilisation.
Long queues were reported until midnight at the border crossings.
Among the last to enter Finland were two cyclists who arrived a little before 11 pm, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE.
AP
Convoy strike death toll rises
10:53 , Zoe Tidman
The death toll of the Russian strike on a civilian convoy in southern Ukraine is reported to have risen.
The general prosecutor’s office said 25 people were killed and 50 wounded in the attack in Zaporizhzhia.
Full story: Putin set to formally annex four regions today
10:30 , Zoe Tidman
Vladimir Putin is set to formally announce the annexation of four regions in Ukraine as Western leaders insist they will refuse to consider them part of Russian territory.
He is expected to declare Russia has absorbed areas of eastern and southern Ukraine on Friday following referendums considered a sham by Kyiv and beyond.
Putin to formally annex Ukrainian regions as West vows to never recognise move
Images from deadly Russian strike on civilian convoy
09:56 , Zoe Tidman
Images are now coming out of the deadly Russian strike on a civilian convoy in southeastern Ukraine.
At least 23 people were killed in the attack on vehicles in Zaporizhzhia, which is set to officially be declared as part of Russia later today.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said four Russian missiles struck a car market as well as an area where civilians had gathered leaving to pick up relatives.
Annexation ‘breach of international law’, UK PM says
09:37 , Zoe Tidman
Liz Truss has accused Vladimir Putin of breaching international law, as the Russian President plans to formally annex four Ukrainian regions.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “Vladimir Putin has, once again, acted in violation of international law with clear disregard for the lives of the Ukrainian people he claims to represent.
“The UK will never ignore the sovereign will of those people and we will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory.
“Putin cannot be allowed to alter international borders using brute force. We will ensure he loses this illegal war.”
‘We are just telling you we have nuclear weapons,’ Russian politician says
09:18 , Zoe Tidman
Evgeny Popov also outlined what he considers Russia’s approach to nuclear weapons.
“We are not threatening anybody with our nuclear weapon. We just tell you we have nuclear weapons,” he claimed.
The Dumas member said Russia would not use them first, but only in response to a nuclear attack on its territory.
“Using nuclear weapon in 21st century, it is an insane decision. We are not insane,” Mr Popov said.
Russia ‘must defend’ people in Donbas, Putin supporter claims
09:02 , Zoe Tidman
Evgeny Popov, a Putin supporter and member of the Russian Dumas, has just been on Sky News talking about annexation and the Ukraine war.
When asked about warnings from Western leaders the annexation would be illegal, Mr Popov said it was considered “legal for Russia” and claimed his country “must defend” people in the Donbas. “They have been living under Ukrainian shelling for the last eight years,” he claimed.
The politician was also asked about reports of Russians fleeing the country after being called up for military service. “Yes, some people are fleeing Russia. But much more people – hundred thousand people – are joining the army now,” he told Sky News.
‘Serving Russia is a real job,’ St Petersburg billboard says
08:43 , Zoe Tidman
Here is an image from St Petersburg today. The billboard carries the slogan: “Serving Russia is a real job.”
ICYMI: Russian war dead have their sins forgiven, Russian Orthodox Church says
08:25 , Zoe Tidman
Russian soldiers who die in the line of duty in Ukraine have all of their sins forgiven, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church proclaimed in a sermon, comparing their sacrificial death to that of Jesus.
Here is a reminder of what happened earlier this week:
Moscow patriarch: Russian war dead have their sins forgiven
Death toll for civilian convoy strike
08:10 , Zoe Tidman
A death toll has been announced for a Russian missile strike that hit a humanitarian convoy on Friday.
At least 23 people were killed and 28 more wounded in the attack on civilian vehicles near the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, according to the regional governor.
In photos: Moscow ready for incorporating 4 Ukrainian areas amid international condemnation
07:51 , Arpan Rai
Missiles strike civilian convoy in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia city
07:32 , Arpan Rai
Russian missiles have struck a convoy of civilians near the Ukrainian city Zaporizhzhia early today, officials said.
Casualties have been reported from the missile attack, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said, adding that Russia targeted the besieged city’s outskirts.
“There are dead and wounded, rescuers are operating,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Too soon to say who caused Nord Stream pipeline ruptures – Pentagon
07:08 , Arpan Rai
It is too soon to speculate who could have caused the Nord Stream pipeline ruptures, the US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said.
“In terms of the attack – or the damage to the pipeline, at this point I think there’s a lot of speculation. But quite frankly, until a complete investigation is done, no one will be able to really determine for certain what happened,” the top Pentagon official said on Thursday.
He added that the incident has been discussed with Denmark.
“Until we get further information, or are able to do further analysis, we won’t speculate on who may have been responsible,” Mr Austin said.
Medical training, first-aid for Russian soldiers in Ukraine poor – MoD
06:40 , Arpan Rai
Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine by Moscow are facing deteriorating medical provision and their first-aid awareness is likely poor, the British defence ministry said today.
“Medical provision for Russian combat troops in Ukraine is probably growing worse. Some newly mobilised Russian reservists have been ordered to source their own combat first aid supplies, with the advice that female sanitary products are a cost-effective solution,” the ministry said, referring to reports where Russian men have been asked to use tampons for treating bullet wounds.
Medical training and first-aid awareness is likely poor, the ministry said in its latest intelligence update on the Ukraine war.
“Some Russia troops have obtained their own modern, Western-style combat tourniquets but have stowed them on their equipment using cable-ties, rather than with the Velcro provided – probably because such equipment is scarce and liable to be pilfered,” it added.
This is “almost certain to hamper or render impossible the timely application of tourniquet care in the case of catastrophic bleeding on the battlefield”.
Faced with poor medical provision, the Russian troops’s lack of confidence in the aid “is almost certainly contributing to a declining state of morale and a lack of willingness to undertake offensive operations in many units in Ukraine.”
Russia will annex itself to catastrophe – Zelensky
05:58 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has renounced Russia’s “attempted annexation” and said it will fill the occupied territory with graves.
“Everyone in the world understands well what such an attempted annexation would actually mean. It will not mean what the Kremlin hopes for,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
The wartime president added: “Russia will not get a new territory of Ukraine. Russia will annex itself to the catastrophe that it has brought to the occupied territory of our country.
“Russia will equate itself with the so-called ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’, and will completely finish off those institutions of normal statehood that still remained in Russia.”
Russia will fill the occupied territory of Ukraine with graves, he said, and added that: “There are more and more graves on the territory of Russia itself.
“The occupier sets up torture chambers in the occupied territory – and will fill the entire territory of Russia with torture chambers.
This is the only way the Russian police and Russian special services will work now,” he said.
43 Russian soldiers killed, two fighter jets downed – Ukraine
05:38 , Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian army says it attacked the Russian command post in Kherson’s Beryslavsky district and destroyed the drone control point in Davydiv Brid in the same region on Thursday.
At least 43 Russian soldiers have been killed in the last 24 hours, the southern operational command of the Ukrainian military said.
It added four tanks, four Msta-B and Msta-S howitzers, two self-propelled Hyacinth-S guns and 2 two Grad missile launchers were also destroyed in the military offensive.
Two Russian Su-25 fighter jets were downed in Mykolaiv oblast, the Ukrainian military said.
Putin to deliver major speech today after claiming four Ukrainian regions
05:27 , Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin is expected to host a ceremony today at Moscow’s Red Square announcing the annexation of four regions of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin would deliver an address at the Square and that the annexation of the four areas would be formalised at the ceremony.
The Russian president has warned the world against attacking these regions and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend them.
He will also meet leaders of the self-styled and Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) as well as the Russian-installed leaders of the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that Russian forces occupy.
It is not clear if Mr Putin will attend the Red Square concert, as he did a similar event in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region.
Putin recognises independence of two Ukrainian regions
05:03 , Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin recognised the “independence” of two occupied Ukrainian regions – Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – late last night.
The presidential decree, which is a precursor to annexing the regions into the Russian Federation, read: “I order the recognition of the state sovereignty and independence” of the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, located in southern Ukraine, reported AFP.
The other two regions that will be annexed by Russia today – Donetsk and Luhansk – were already recognised by Moscow as “independent” from Ukraine several weeks ago.
04:32 , Arpan Rai
Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Friday, 30 September.