Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he doesn’t think Vladimir Putin is bluffing that Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia, Reuters reported.
Last week, the Russian president said in a televised speech that Moscow would use “all available means” to defend Russia and its people if its territorial integrity were threatened.
“Look, maybe yesterday it was a bluff. Now it could be reality,” Zelensky told CBS News. The Ukrainian president previously dismissed these warnings as nuclear blackmail.
“I don’t think he’s bluffing,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian president said Russian attacks on or near two Ukrainian nuclear power plants could be considered “modern use of nuclear weapons or nuclear blackmail”.
Kiev accuses Moscow of repeatedly bombing the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant occupied by Russian troops during the war and of having recently launched a missile attack near the Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant.
Moscow denies bombing the Zaporizhia power plant, accusing Kiev of being responsible. Russia did not comment on Ukraine’s claims about the bombing of the Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant.
The White House has warned that there will be catastrophic consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons
The consequences will be catastrophic if Russian President Vladimir Putin follows up on his threat to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned in an interview with NBC.
The United States intends to make Russia understand “what the consequences will be if it takes the wrong path of using nuclear weapons, and they will be catastrophic,” Sullivan said.
“We have the opportunity to speak directly at a high level (to the Russians), to tell them clearly what our message is and to hear theirs,” he said. “This has happened a lot in the last few months, even in the last few days,” said Jake Sullivan, who did not delve into the exact nature of the communication channels used for security reasons.
Ukraine will receive a US air defense system
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview broadcast today that Ukraine has received advanced air defense systems from the United States, Reuters reported.
This is the first confirmation that Ukraine has received NASAMS National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). Kiev has long insisted on receiving such air defense systems. Last month, their shipment was approved by Washington.
It is imperative that the United States show leadership and give Ukraine anti-aircraft systems. I want to thank President Biden for the positive decision that has already been made, Zelensky said, according to an English transcript of the text of his interview.
But believe me, this is not enough to protect civilian infrastructure, schools, hospitals, universities, Ukrainians’ homes, Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian president also thanked the United States for providing HAYMARS systems and other blank firing systems that allow Ukraine to advance against the Russian occupation forces.
Subsequently, Sergey Nikiforov, Zelensky’s spokesman, made a clarification in connection with the president’s statement on the reception of American advanced air defense systems (NASAMS). The clarification makes it clear that Ukraine did not receive the weapon systems themselves, but agreed to the delivery.
The United States announced civilian aid to Ukraine in the amount of $ 457.5 million
The United States will provide $ 457.5 million in new civil security assistance to Ukraine, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced today, quoted by Reuters.
The aid is intended to assist Ukrainian law enforcement and criminal justice authorities, the statement said.
The Kremlin admitted that mistakes were made in the partial mobilization
The Kremlin admitted today that mistakes were made in the framework of the partial mobilization, AFP reported.
“There are cases where the decree has been violated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, noting that the authorities had not decided to close the borders to men of fighting age.
The Kremlin hopes that all errors in the partial mobilization will be corrected, Peskov also said, quoted by TASS.
Peskov drew attention to the fact that “in some regions the governors are actively working to correct errors”, and also “the active and much needed work is done by local journalists and representatives of public organizations. This is very important”, the spokesperson pointed out.
The Kremlin will promptly announce the date of official acceptance of the new regions into the Russian Federation, said Dmitry Peskov.
“Before that, we will go through a procedure related to our legislators. We will inform you in due course,” he stressed.
In response to a reporter’s question as to whether President Vladimir Putin will address the Federal Assembly on September 30, Peskov said he could not confirm this at the moment.
About 100 people were arrested during a demonstration against the mobilization in Dagestan
About 100 people were arrested yesterday during a demonstration against the mobilization in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, AFP reported.
Police have arrested at least 101 people in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, according to the non-governmental organization OVD Info, which specializes in monitoring opposition activities in Russia.
Russian media have released footage showing local women arguing with police during the demonstration in question: “Why are you taking our children?” Asks one of the women.
The Republic of Dagestan, which is a multi-ethnic entity of the Russian Federation with a predominantly Muslim population, is also one of the poorest territories in Russia.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dagestan has also been one of the Russian regions with the proportionately highest number of men killed in Ukraine, noted France Presse, citing information about Russia’s dead soldiers gleaned from independent Russian media. and published on social networks.
Protests erupted in Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization last week.
A gunman opened fire on a military commissariat in the Irkutsk region
A gunman was arrested after opening fire on a military commissariat in Russia’s Irkutsk region, Reuters and AFP reported.
A soldier who worked at the police station was injured in the shooting.
“Military commissioner Alexander Eliseev is in intensive care, his condition is very serious (…) The attacker was immediately arrested. He will certainly bear the punishment,” Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev told Telegram. .
The governor specified that the attack was carried out in a military commissariat in the city of Ust Ilimsk, an industrial city in Siberia, which is located 600 km north of Irkutsk.
The Russian investigative committee said the attacker was a 25-year-old resident of Ust Ilimsk.
“I am ashamed that something like this is happening at a time when we should stand together and fight not against each other, but against real threats,” the governor said.
Several military commissariats have been attacked after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization in Russia last week, Reuters notes.
How the mobilization in Russia will affect the war in Ukraine
Ukrainian and Western representatives question Russia’s short-term ability to use those mobilized as part of the partial mobilization, who have little or no military experience, writes the Financial Times.
However, Russia can use the mobilization to strengthen its defensive positions in southern and eastern Ukraine, the British publication points out.
“Of course, this (mobilization in Russia) is bad news for us. Even if the mobilized Russians are not motivated, they will have weapons,” says a representative of the territorial defense of Ukraine.
Partial mobilization will force Ukraine to use more manpower and weapons to recapture the occupied territories and win the war, the Financial Times points out.
According to Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov, who is a member of the general staff of Ukraine, Russia will initially send the mobilized to the border areas so that the regular army soldiers who are there now can be recruited elsewhere. After that, Gromov points out, Russia will most likely try to create new military formations in artillery and missile units, but, taking into account that among the mobilized there are almost no military specialists, it can be assumed that this process will take a long time.
According to Kiev, the mobilized will appear on the front line within six weeks.
“One option is to send people to the infantry to rebuild destroyed units at the front. However, those mobilized will not be very effective there, considering they lack experience and motivation,” predicted Dara Massikot, senior political analyst at the American think tank. ” RAND Corporation “.
According to Massicot, another course of action would be to use the first wave of recruits for less complex tasks away from the front line, so that professional soldiers who are engaged there can be sent elsewhere.
Kazakhstan remains one of the most popular destinations for Russians fleeing the mobilization
According to the Kazakhstan Border Service, in just three days, from 20 to 23 September, some 9,000 Russian citizens arrived in the West Kazakhstan region, the BBC reported.
People stand in long lines to cross the border and finding accommodation in border towns is next to impossible.
The management of the CinemaPark cinema in Uralsk in Kazakhstan invited the Russians to spend the night in the cinema hall.
“People were really scared, confused. Around 11pm, people started to arrive, they thanked them, they said they had been walking all day and couldn’t find a place to spend the night. We left a hall, organized tea, volunteers brought hot food. So we gathered about 200 people, “said the director of the cinema citing local media.
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