Pope Francis says the thought of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine war is "madness"
From CNN’s Nicola Ruotolo and Eve Brennan
Pope Francis referenced Russian President Vladimir Putin hinting at the use of nuclear weapons in a speech today, with the pontiff calling it "madness."
The Pope, speaking in front of a crowd at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, which had gathered for his weekly general audience, did not name Russia or Putin specifically.
“This tragic war brings us to the point where some people are thinking of nuclear weapons, that madness,” Pope Francis said on Wednesday morning in front of a general audience.
9:13 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
Putin's partial mobilization decision is "forced, but timely and absolutely necessary," Moscow mayor says
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin attends a wreath laying ceremony in Moscow, Russia, on November 7, 2020. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)
The mayor of Moscow on Monday expressed his support for President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on immediate partial mobilization of Russian citizens, and said that he would extend his city’s “material support” to anyone who is called up under the new decree.
"I consider the Presidential Decree on partial mobilization to be forced, but timely and absolutely necessary," Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement on his website, adding that "several thousand volunteers from Moscow are already taking part in the fighting with weapons in their hands."
Sobyanin also expressed hope that the separatist-held Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk will soon join Russia.
“I hope that soon, following the results of the referendum, they will become part of our Russian family,” he said.
9:09 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
Putin's partial mobilization is a "sign that he's struggling," White House official says
From CNN's Betsy Klein
John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, appears on ABC’s "Good Morning America," on September 19. (ABC)
John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on immediate partial mobilization was “expected” and a “sign that he’s struggling.”
“I think there was a lot in there that was a typical – a lot that we've heard before,” Kirby said during an appearance on ABC’s "Good Morning America," citing Putin’s baseless claims of neo-Nazis in Ukraine and that Russian territorial integrity is being threatened.
Kirby said that Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilization of reservists is “a lot” and “almost twice as much as he committed to the war back in February of this year.”
He sought to cast Putin’s speech, which comes hours ahead of US President Joe Biden’s address to the United Nations, as a signal of weakness.
“It's definitely a sign that he's struggling, and we know that he has suffered tens of thousands of casualties. He has terrible morale unit cohesion on the battlefield command and control has still not been solved. He's got desertion problems and he's forcing the wounded back into the fight. So clearly, manpower is a problem for him. He feels like he's on his back foot, particularly in that northeast area of the Donbas,” Kirby said.
More than 75,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded during the war in Ukraine, Biden administration officials told US lawmakers during a classified briefing in July, but it's difficult to independently gauge casualty figures in the war.
Kirby also said the US is taking Putin's nuclear threats “seriously” but that this rhetoric was “not atypical.”
“It's irresponsible rhetoric for a nuclear power to talk that way, but it's not atypical for how he's been talking the last seven months, and we take it very seriously. We're monitoring as best we can, their strategic posture, so that if we have to, we can alter ours. We've seen no indication that that's required right now,” he said.
There will be “severe consequences” for the use of nuclear weapons, Kirby warned.
Kirby reiterated national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s Tuesday preview of Biden’s remarks to the UN, saying that Biden will be “very clear about where we stand with respect to Russia and Ukraine,” and he also reiterated the US commitment to the UN charter.
9:23 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
German chancellor calls Putin's announcement an "act of desperation"
From CNN's Inke Kappeler in Berlin
German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization announcement "an act of desperation."
"Putin's announcement of partial mobilization is an act of desperation," Scholz tweeted. "Russia cannot win this criminal war. Putin completely underestimated the situation from the very beginning — the will of #Ukraine to resist and the unity of its friends."
"The planned sham referendums are an attempt to conquer the neighbor's country by force. We will not accept that. In our world, law must prevail over violence. Violence cannot be stronger than law," Scholz tweeted.
Scholz also told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City that “with the latest decision, Putin, makes all of this even worse.”
What we know: In a televised national address Wednesday morning, Putin announced an immediate partial mobilization of Russian citizens, marking the biggest escalation since the start of his war in Ukraine.
7:20 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
Separatist Luhansk leadership pushes forward with plans for referendum on joining Russia
From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Mick Krever
Vehicles drive past advertising boards, including panels displaying pro-Russian slogans, in a street in Luhansk, Ukraine September 20.One of the boards reads: "World changes - truth stays. Army of Russia". REUTERS/ (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
The leadership of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic on Wednesday elaborated on its plans to begin holding a referendum on joining Russia later this week.
The LPR, on its Telegram channel, said that 461 polling stations would be set up in the Luhansk region, and another 181 locations “for residents of the LPR on the territory of Russia.”
The LPR also claimed that “foreign observers will work in the LPR at the referendum on the issue of the republic joining Russia,” but did not offer any more detail.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has described the referendums planned in Luhansk and other regions as “fake plebiscites” with “no legal consequences.” Western leaders have denounced the referendums as a “sham.”
Nearly all of Ukraine’s Luhansk region is now controlled by Russia, but it is still contested. Just this week, the Luhansk region’s Ukrainian governor said that forces had liberated the town of Bilohorivka.
7:29 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
International Rescue Committee calls for "immediate ceasefire" to war in Ukraine
From CNN's Lauren Kent and Sana Noor Haq
Residents grab bread as a local humanitarian organization, Good Bread, offers handouts on September 20, in Izium, Ukraine. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has cautioned that increased military activity in Ukraine will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and prompt a rise in displacement.
The IRC's warning came on the heels of President Vladimir Putin's announcement on Wednesday launching the immediate partial mobilization of Russian citizens in the conflict.
Moscow will summon 300,000 reservists as part of its strategy, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"Russia’s move to mobilise additional armed forces sets the conflict on a fresh and dangerous path," Marysia Zapasnik, IRC Ukraine country director, said in a statement.
"A further escalation in fighting is a grave concern for the Ukrainian people -- both inside the country and for those who have left.
"In the last seven months, Ukraine has experienced a desperate spiral into humanitarian catastrophe; almost 18 million people are in need of shelter, food and healthcare and the future looks bleak as winter closes in and conditions worsen. Meanwhile, displacement could soar as more people attempt to leave the country to seek safety in neighbouring countries."
Recent figures from the UN's refugee agency show that over 7.2 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe.
“The consequences of the conflict will be longlasting: if the war deepens and protracts further, Ukraine’s population could face poverty and the vulnerabilities that come with it for years to come," Zapasnik added.
"The only solution is an immediate ceasefire."
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a key point of discussion for world leaders gathering in New York City for the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the only world leader to speak by video, as he grapples with the war in his country. The Assembly on Friday overrode Russian objections to permit Zelensky to speak virtually.
CNN's Richard Roth contributed reporting.
7:29 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
Lithuanian defense minister raises military's alert level to block "provocation from Russia"
From CNN’s Eve Brennan
The Lithuanian government has raised the readiness of its army’s Rapid Reaction Force, following President Vladimir Putin's announcement of the partial mobilization of Russian citizens in Ukraine.
“Lithuania’s Rapid Reaction Force is being put on high alert to prevent any provocation from Russia," tweeted Arvydas Anušauskas, Lithuania’s minister of national defense.
Lithuania, a European Union member, shares a 185-mile-long border with Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia.
7:29 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
Polish PM says "we cannot agree" to Russia's attempts to destroy Ukraine and take territory
From CNN's Antonia Mortensen
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of partial mobilization, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the Kremlin will try to "destroy" Ukraine and change its borders.
"Information about partial mobilization in Russia has been confirmed. Russia will continue its work of destruction and try to destroy Ukraine and take part of the territory," Morawiecki said during a speech on Wednesday, adding: "We cannot agree to this."
When Russia shows its brute strength, we must show our defense strength. Poland is part of the most important alliance in the history of the world and this is a powerful guarantee of security for us," Morawiecki added.
6:56 a.m. ET, September 21, 2022
Germany to nationalize gas distributor Uniper to prevent energy supply crisis
From CNN’s Inke Kappeler in Berlin and Allegra Goodwin in London
Pipework at the Etzel ESE natural gas storage facility, operated by Uniper Energy Storage GmbH, a unit of Uniper SE, in Etzel, Germany, on September 7. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Germany has announced it will nationalize gas giant Uniper as part of an €8 billion ($7.9 billion) plan to stem an impending shortage of energy supplies due to the war in Ukraine.
Europe has been hit by soaring gas prices as a result of Moscow's invasion and its suspension of gas flows to the continent.
The government will hold around 99% of Uniper and 8% of its Finnish parent company Fortum, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told journalists in Berlin on Wednesday.
Uniper, Germany’s largest importer of gas, provides 40% of the country’s gas supply and is crucial for large companies and private consumers.
In July, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the government would step in to bail out Uniper with a package worth up to €15 billion ($15.3 billion), after it was brought to its knees by months of Russian supply cuts and rocketing market prices.
But Habeck said the situation had “worsened dramatically” after Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely on September 1, citing an oil leak.
Russian gas has had to be substituted with costly alternatives, leading to inflated bills for consumers.
Habeck said a gas levy would be charged to German customers from October 1, telling reporters: “We have found a legally secure way to levy a gas charge.”
Although gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 are suspended, Germany’s gas reserves are filled at more than 90% capacity, the European Storage provider GIE AGSI+ said on its website.
