Here is the situation as it stands on Friday, September 30.
Annexation
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proclaimed the annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions at a signing ceremony in the Kremlin. The move has been rejected by Ukraine and Western countries.
At the ceremony on Friday, Putin said Russia has “four new regions”, calling the residents of Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions “our citizens forever”.
The United Nations chief said on Thursday the annexation of the Ukrainian regions would be a “dangerous escalation”.
“Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” Antonio Guterres told reporters.
Fighting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a strong response to the annexations and summoned his defence and security chiefs for an emergency meeting.
After Putin’s proclamation, Zelenskyy said his country was submitting an “accelerated” application to join the NATO military alliance.
In the United States, Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Thursday denounced the annexation plan and said they wanted to continue the flow of money and weapons to Ukraine.
More than half of Russians felt fearful or anxious after hearing that the Kremlin was drafting hundreds of thousands of people to fight in Ukraine, according to a poll released by the independent Levada Centre.
Sanctions
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska was charged with violating US sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine, federal prosecutors said.
Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an eighth package of sanctions against Russia. It includes punitive measures on trade and Russian oil.
“We propose sweeping new import bans on Russian products. This will keep Russian products out of the European market and deprive Russia of an additional 7 billion euros [$6bn] in revenues,” von der Leyen said.
Finland has closed its border to Russian tourists following a surge in arrivals after Moscow’s recent mobilisation order. From Friday, Russian tourists holding a European Union Schengen visa will not be allowed in the country unless they enter for work, study and family visits.
Gas leak
The cause of the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea – built to carry Russian gas to Europe, though already shut – has not yet been found. Sweden’s coastguard said it found a fourth leak.
Western countries said the pipelines were sabotaged while stopping short of openly ascribing blame. Russia, which has denied involvement, said it looked like acts of state-sponsored “terrorism” and that the United States stood to gain. Washington has denied any involvement.
US defence chief Lloyd Austin said it was too soon to speculate who might have been behind the pipeline ruptures.
NATO also called the pipeline leaks sabotage and said it would respond robustly to any deliberate attempt to target the infrastructure of its members.
