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Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

‘I don’t think he’s bluffing’: Zelenskyy on Putin’s “nuclear blackmail”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pictured during his regular address to the nation, Kyiv, capital of Ukraine.

Ukrinform | Future Publishing | Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a sobering assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning last week that he would use all means at his disposal, widely read as a nod to Russia’s nuclear arsenal, to defend Russian territories.

Russia using nuclear weapons “could be a reality,” Zelenskyy told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“He wants to scare the whole world. These are the first steps of his nuclear blackmail. I don’t think he’s bluffing,” Zelenskyy said.

A Russian-led referendum is underway in the Ukrainian territories that have been occupied by Russia since its invasion in February. Western and Ukrainian governments reject its legitimacy as a sham. But many worry that if Moscow annexes the territories based on the results, those lands will be included in the territory that Putin views as worthy of a potential nuclear response if attacked by Ukrainian forces trying to recapture them.

Ukraine’s nuclear energy body says Russian forces are staging referendum votes in Zaporizhzhia

Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, is accusing Russian forces of staging referendum votes to make it look like staff of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, have cast their ballots in the Russian-controlled contest.

“They staged another performance near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, pretending to be the staff of the nuclear plant as invited mobsters,” Energoatam wrote in a Telegram post.

“A large group of men in civilian clothes waited for the end of the shift at the station and mingled with its staff who were leaving after the shift. Along the way, those lined up gave interviews to pro-Russian propaganda media and shouted words of support for Russia and the pseudo-referendum, after which they went to the bus in which the “voting” was held and demonstratively filled out the ballots.”

The post added, “This fact once again proves that among the patriotic workers of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, no one volunteered to participate in the occupying farce, so the propagandists were once again forced to make a ‘good’ picture for Russian customers.”

A. Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in territory under Russian military control, southeastern Ukraine, May 1, 2022.

AP

Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, has been under Russian occupation since March.

Voting in the so-called referendum has been underway since Friday, under the control of Russian forces, on whether the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson will join the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian and Western officials reject any legitimacy of the referendums, saying they are a sham to justify Russian annexation of the territories, and reports have emerged of armed Russian troops going door-to-door and forcing people to vote.

— Natasha Turak

Anti-mobilization protests in Russia continue, many arrested: Reports

A female activist holds an anti-war poster as other protesters shout slogan during an unsanctioned protest rally at Arbat street on Sept. 21, 2022, in Moscow, Russia. The sign reads, “Army to the barracks, godfather to prison.”

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Protests against Russia’s “partial mobilization” drive are taking place around the country, with reports and videos on social media of clashes between people and police in the Russian republic of Dagestan.

At least 100 people there have been arrested in the regional capital of Makhachkala, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights group. CNBC has not been able to independently verify the numbers.

Dagestan is a predominantly Muslim region in the mountainous Russian Caucasus, and is overwhelmingly poor. The province has suffered the highest death toll among its troops sent to fight in Ukraine than any other Russian province, the BBC reported.

At least 2,000 people have been arrested in anti-mobilization protests since Wednesday. Putin has said that 300,000 military reservists will be called up for what he still calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

— Natasha Turak

First troops in Russia’s ‘partial mobilization’ wave arrive at bases

The first troops in Russia’s “partial mobilization” wave have started arriving at military bases, and the country will struggle to arm and train them all properly, security analysts say.

“Unlike most Western armies, the Russian military provides low-level, initial training to soldiers within their designated operational units, rather than in dedicated training establishments,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense wrote in its daily intelligence update on Twitter.

“The lack of military trainers, and the haste with which Russia has started the mobilisation, suggests that many of the drafted troops will deploy to the front line with minimal relevant preparation. They are likely to suffer a high attrition rate,” the ministry wrote.

— Natasha Turak

U.S. warns of ‘horrific’ consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Washington has issued a warning in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s veiled threat of using nuclear weapons during his speech announcing Russia’s “partial mobilization” last week.

“It’s very important that Moscow hear from us and know from us that the consequences would be horrific. And we’ve made that very clear,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in response to Putin’s remarks during an interview with CBS News.

Putin, during his speech last Wednesday, warned that if the territorial integrity of Russia was threatened, the Kremlin would “certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It is not a bluff.”

— Natasha Turak

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