Ukraine war latest: Vladimir Putin's forces ARREST over 2,000 protestors as desperate Russians FLEE brutal conscription | The Sun
AT least 2,000 people have now been arrested for rising up against Vladimir Putin's conscription – while thousands head to Russia's borders in an attempt to flee the Kremlin's grasp.
Many of those receiving a call-up have immediately been mobilised, while unconfirmed media reports claim the Kremlin might soon close Russian borders to men of fighting age.
Hero Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address on Sunday described Russia's mobilisation as "criminal" and reiterated his call for Russians to stand up to it and resist the Ukraine war.
He said: "Fight so that they don't send your children to die, all of those who they can take in this criminal Russian mobilisation. Because if you come to take the lives of our children, I will tell you as a father we will not let you go alive."
Huge queues were reported near the south Russian border, with some even ditching their cars as they flee Putin's draft of 300,000 soldiers to fight in the invasion of Ukraine.
Read our Ukraine-Russia live blog below for the latest updates…
- Joseph Gamp
Russia's Prigozhin admits link to Wagner mercenaries for first time
Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that he had founded the Wagner Group private military company in 2014, the first public confirmation of a link he has previously denied.
The Wagner Group, staffed by veterans of the Russian armed forces, has fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali, among other countries.
The press service of Prigozhin's Concord catering firm posted his comments on the social network VKontakte in response to a request for comment on why he had stopped denying his links to Wagner.
"I cleaned the old weapons myself, sorted out the bulletproof vests myself and found specialists who could help me with this. From that moment, on May 1, 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later came to be called the Wagner Battalion," Prigozhin said.
"I am proud that I was able to defend their right to protect the interests of their country," he said in the statement.
Prigozhin's Concord catering firm did not respond to Reuters requests to confirm the statement, which was also published by Russia's state news agency RIA.
Prigozhin, known as "Putin's chef" due to his company's Kremlin catering contracts, has been sanctioned by Western countries for his role in Wagner.
- Joseph Gamp
PoW's Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner appear on GMB
One of five Britons released from captivity by Russian-backed forces has thanked those responsible for freeing them and expressed gratitude that "someone saw common sense."
Shaun Pinner, who was sentenced to death in a Donetsk court with Aiden Aslin, 28, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday after returning to the UK last week.
"We're thankful for whoever decided to let us go in Russia and the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic). Thank you that someone saw common sense.
"It's a very bitter pill to swallow after all the treatment we had, but we are thankful."
- Joseph Gamp
Putin to meet Lukashenko in Moscow later today
Vladimir Putin will meet Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko later today in Moscow, according to state media.
Russia and Belarus are close allies, with Russia having used bases in Belarus as a staging post for its troops, aircraft and equipment in the invasion of Ukraine.
- Joseph Gamp
Gunman detained after shooting at draft office in Russia's Irkutsk region
A gunman has been detained after opening fire at a draft office in Russia's Irkutsk region on Monday, the local governor said.
The gunman, who in a video published on social media is seen identifying himself to police officers as 25-year-old Ruslan Zinin, opened fire at a draft office in the town of Ust-Ilimsk.
A separate video of the shooting shows him firing at least one shot inside the draft office.
Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the draft office head was in hospital in a critical condition, and that the detained shooter "will absolutely be punished".
A number of draft offices have been attacked since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilisation last Wednesday.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
China calls on Russia and Ukraine to stop ‘crisis spilling over’
The Chinese foreign minister made the UN address asking the two nations to avoid letting the invasion from affecting developing nations.
Wang Yi said: “China supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis.
“The pressing priority is to facilitate talks for peace,” Wang said.
“The fundamental solution is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture,” he added.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Referendum voting proceeds in occupied regions
Moscow-backed referendums are continuing in occupied Ukrainian areas.
Election officials flanked by police officers lifted ballots to homes and established mobile polling stations in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
Voting ends on Tuesday.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Seven more crop cargo ships leave Ukraine
After months of waiting for exports to resume, more vessels have left the Ukrainian black sea corridor.
“On September 25, 7 ships with 146.2 thousand tons of agricultural produce for countries in Africa, Asia and Europe left the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi,” the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry confirmed on Facebook.
Ukraine shipped up to 6 million tonnes of grain per month before the war.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Dmytro Kuleba meets with China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has met with China’s counterpart Wang Yi.
They discussed relations between the countries and China reaffirmed their “respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Dmytro Kuleba also said how China spoke of its “rejection of the use of force as a means of resolving differences”.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Putin eases citizenship laws for foreigners in the military
The Russian dictator has eased the laws for those joining the Russian military.
Foreigners can now apply for citizenship without presenting a residence permit.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
700 protestors DETAINED in Russia over forced mobilisation
It has been reported that locals are angry that those who do not meet the conscription criteria are being sent to war.
One man wrote: “Mobilise yourself, you lice-infested rat,” in Khabarovsk, and was detained.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Bodies of mutilated victims discovered in Ukraine
Ukraine has confirmed that victims of Russian torturers have been mutilated so badly that it is difficult to tell what gender they were.
They are among 430 bodies that have now been exhumed after Putin’s troops retreated from the city of Izyum following a Ukrainian advance.
Shocking evidence has emerged of torture chambers alongside the graves.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Russia replaces it’s highest-ranking military general
Dmitry Bulgakov was “relieved” of his post.
It was revealed via Telegram yesterday that the Army General will no longer be the deputy minister of defence.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Nigerian president says the UN prioritises certain global issues
He was referencing the ongoing conflicts in Europe that were sparked firstly in 1915, and are still continuing in Ukraine today.
Muhammadu Buhari said: Were we equally resolute during the tragedies of Syria, Libya, Yemen?
“And didn’t the West return to ‘business as usual’ after wars in Congo and the Horn of Africa?
“While condemning the invasion of Ukraine, do we give equal weight to fighting mercenaries who seek to destabilise the Sahel and threaten many other states in Africa?”
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Iran’s embassy presence in Ukraine reduced due to Russian drone attacks
Iran’s ambassador will have his credentials stripped because Russia has been using Iranian drones to initiate attacks, claims Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Al-Jazeera reports that eight Iranian drones were shot down by Ukrainian forces.
”Today the Russian army used Iranian drones for its attacks on Dnipropetrovsk region and Odesa. I instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strongly react to this fact,” Zelenskyy said in his address.
“Six of these Iranian drones were downed by our air defences of the East and South commands. One more was brought to ground by air defences of the navy … And just now I am being told about the downing by air defences of the South command of another strike Iranian drone,” he said.
- Lauren Cole-Lomas
Referendum voting proceeds in occupied regions
Moscow-backed referendums are continuing in occupied Ukrainian areas.
Election officials flanked by police officers lifted ballots to homes and established mobile polling stations in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
Voting ends on Tuesday.
- Henry Moore
Thousands detained as Russians challenge Putin's brutal mobilisation policy
According to OVD-Info, over 2,000 Russians have been arrested for protesting Putin’s recent partial mobilisation policy.
As stated by the report, arrests have taken place in 33 towns across the country, as Russians resist these new draconian measures.
Around 300,000 Russian reservists will be made to join the conflict.
- Henry Moore
Liz Truss slams Putin as 'sham referenda' take place
Speaking to CNN, the newly-appointed Prime Minister has slammed the Russian dictator.
“I think he didn’t anticipate the strength of reaction from the free world,” Truss told CNN.
“We should not be listening to his sabre-rattling and his bogus threats. Instead, what we need to do is continue to put sanctions on Russia and continue to support the Ukrainians.”
- Henry Moore
Russia has over 2,500 Ukrainian POWs, official claims
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told the BBC today that Putin is holding at least 2,500 Ukrainians hostage, as his brutal invasion rages on.
This comes just days after Russia and Ukraine exchange a group of prisoners, with 215 being returned to Putin's country.
Five of the POWs freed from Russia were British and have since arrived back home.
- Henry Moore
US secretary of state accuses Russia of ‘shredding’ international order.
Speaking at UN security council, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken accused Putin of destroying international order “before our eyes.”
“We cannot – we will not – let President Putin get away with it,” he went on to say.
“If we fail to defend this principle when the Kremlin is so flagrantly violating it, we send the message to aggressors everywhere that they can ignore it, too.”
- Henry Moore
US issues stark warning to Putin following nuclear threats
A White House official issued a stark warning to Putin this week, following the dictator's veiled nuclear threats.
"If Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia," White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC.
"The United States will respond decisively. Now in private channels, we have spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean."
- Henry Moore
Video shows Russian protesters resisting new 'partial mobilisation' policy
A video shared by NEXTA reportedly shows Russian protesters clashing with Police in Dagestan.
The region's capital, Makhachkala, looks to be the centre of this resistance, as hundreds take to the streets to resist Putin's brutal new policy.
- Henry Moore
Reports of 'torture' for new Russian recruits
It is estimated that 300,000 Russians could be conscripted into Russia’s army as the Kremlin continues its invasion of Ukraine.
Horror reports have been made of new troops being “raped and tortured”.
“Dedovshchina” involves barbaric initiation rituals, said Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Sir Richard Shirreff.
He told The Sun: “It is a brutal army with no sense of honour or values and your chances of surviving any war in the Russian army are pretty low."
- Henry Moore
Around 50 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day, Zelensky reports
Approximately 50 Ukrainian troops die every day, Zelensky told Ouest-France newspaper.
This comes as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.
- Henry Moore
'We won't allow occupants to go unpunished', says Zelensky
In his nightly address, Ukraine's President has issued a stark warning to their Russian invaders.
"We won't allow occupants to go unpunished," he said.
"We will definitely liberate our entire country – from Kherson to Luhansk region, from Crimea, I emphasize, to Donetsk Oblast.
"Every murderer and executioner will be brought to justice for what they did against we Ukrainians."
- Henry Moore
Over 2,000 Russians detained for protesting brutal mobilisation policy
According to OVD-Info, over 2,000 Russians have been arrested for protesting Putin's recent partial mobilisation policy.
As stated by the report, arrests have taken place in 33 towns across the country, as Russians resist these new draconian measures.
Around 300,000 Russian reservists will be made to join the conflict.
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