September 28, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Tara Subramaniam, Sana Noor Haq, Hannah Strange and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 0235 GMT (1035 HKT) September 29, 2022
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8:29 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Kremlin warns US is edging closer to becoming a party to conflict in Ukraine

From CNN's Anna Chernova and Allegra Goodwin

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the press at the State Department in Washington, DC, on September 27.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the press at the State Department in Washington, DC, on September 27. (Saul Loeb/Reuters)

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has warned that the US is getting increasingly close to "becoming a party to the conflict" in Ukraine.

“More and more, the American side is getting into this conflict, getting closer to becoming a party to the conflict, which is extremely dangerous,” Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

He was responding to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments on Tuesday that Ukrainians would be able to use weapons provided by the US to regain its territory, including in the regions that are expected to be annexed by Russia after multiple referendums.

“Ukraine has the absolute right to defend itself throughout its territory, including to take back the territory that has been illegally seized in one way or another by Russia," Blinken said.

The referendums -- announced at short notice by Russian-backed authorities in four occupied regions of Ukraine -- are illegal under international law. They have been widely condemned by Western governments as a sham and were not observed by independent monitors.

8:22 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Over 50,000 Russians have entered Finland in the last week, says Finnish border guard

From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London

Vehicles coming from Russia queue at the Vaalimaa check point, Finland, on the border with the Russian Federation on September 28.
Vehicles coming from Russia queue at the Vaalimaa check point, Finland, on the border with the Russian Federation on September 28. (Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 50,000 Russians have crossed into Finland via the land border within the last week, according to the country's border guard, following President Vladimir Putin announcement of the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens.

The Finnish border guard told CNN that 50,659 Russians entered the country over the past week. Earlier, it tweeted that 7,052 Russians entered the country on Tuesday alone.

The Kremlin has announced it will call up 300,000 reservists to serve in its ongoing war against Ukraine. Since that time, hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring countries in a desperate bid to avoid military conscription.

Last weekend saw a record number of Russians entering neighboring Finland via its land border since the Kremlin’s announcement, with 16,886 Russians arriving in total over Saturday and Sunday, according to the border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty. Of that number, many were “in transit to other countries,” he added.

Finland and Russia share a 1,340-km (830-mile) land border, with several border crossings.

8:01 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Kremlin claims "special military operation" in Ukraine will continue, following so-called referendums in four occupied regions

From CNN's Anna Chernova

People walk past a billboard displaying a soldier and a Russian flag and reading 'We believe in our army and our victory' in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on September 27.
People walk past a billboard displaying a soldier and a Russian flag and reading 'We believe in our army and our victory' in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on September 27. (AP)

The so-called referendums in four occupied Ukrainian regions will not be the end of Moscow’s “special military operation” in the country, according to the Kremlin.

“The special military operation” -- Moscow’s official euphemism for Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- “continues and it will continue,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Four occupied regions of Ukraine have held so-called referendums on joining Russia. The referendums are illegal under international law and have been dismissed by Ukraine and Western leaders as a “sham.”

The leaders of two of the four occupied regions in Ukraine are traveling to the Russian capital following the voting, according to local media reports. Peskov was addressing reporters in response to questions about what will happen after the four regions have signed to become part of Russia and if the border troops will be sent to protect the new borders there.

Peskov would not be drawn on when agreements on joining Russia may be signed, telling reporters the Kremlin “will inform in a timely manner.”

Pressed further on whether Russia will consider the goals of the special military operation goals to be achieved when the regions become part of Russia, Peskov said that "not all the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic has been liberated yet.”

“At the very least, all the territory of the DPR needs to be liberated,” Peskov added.

CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Jo Shelley in London contributed reporting.

8:28 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Leaders of self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic head to Moscow following referendums

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Jo Shelley in London

Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, raises a glass of champagne after a referendum in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on September 27.
Leonid Pasechnik, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, raises a glass of champagne after a referendum in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on September 27. (AP)

The leaders of two of the four occupied regions in Ukraine holding so-called referendums on joining Russia are traveling to Moscow, after claiming huge majorities in favor in the polls, dismissed by Ukraine and Western leaders as a "sham."

The head of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Leonid Pasechnik, and leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, are traveling to the Russian capital, according to local media reports.

Pasechnik is journeying to Moscow “to complete the legal part of joining the LPR to Russia,” according to a post on the official LPR Telegram channel.

Meanwhile his DPR counterpart is also heading to the Russian capital where he says he will “sign an agreement with the President of the Russian Federation,” the separatist-run Donetsk News Agency (DNA) reported.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Russian-backed administration in Kherson, has called on Putin to annex the region, following a so-called referendum there.

“I appeal to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin with a proposal to accept the Kherson region into the Russian Federation as a new subject,” he wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday.

Remember: The referendums are illegal under international law. Earlier this week Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced fresh sanctions to be imposed on “persons and entities” involved in such referendums, while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell decried them as “another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

President Vladimir Putin is set to address both houses of the Russian Parliament on Friday, the UK Ministry of Defence tweeted on Tuesday.

It claimed there was “a realistic possibility” Putin would use the speech “to formally announce the accession of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

CNN’s Hannah Ritchie and Allegra Goodwin contributed reporting.

8:01 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Kremlin calls allegations of Nord Stream sabotage "predictably stupid and absurd"

From CNN’s Anna Chernova

Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark, on September 27.
Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark, on September 27. (Danish Defence Command/Forsvaret Ritzau Scanpix/Reuters)

Any allegations that Russia may have been involved in sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines are “predictably stupid and absurd,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has claimed.

“It's pretty predictable and predictably stupid to express such versions. Predictably stupid and absurd,” Peskov said on Wednesday when asked about allegations Russia might be involved in damaging the pipelines.

“This is a big problem for us, since both pipelines are filled with gas, and this gas is very expensive,” he added during a call with journalists.

“We do not understand what happened there...There are a lot of questions,” Peskov said when asked to assess if Russia would carry out the repair works. “Of course, this situation requires dialogue, prompt cooperation of all parties to find out what happened, to assess the damage.”

Multiple European leaders have referred to the leaks in the Russian pipelines -- which run under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark -- as acts of sabotage. Nord Stream AG, in safety documents published before any news emerged of the leaks, had said that the probability of a pipeline failure or leakage is “as low as one damage event every 100,000 years.”

6:55 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Swedish police open investigation into Nord Stream pipelines leaks

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite and Chris Liakos

The Swedish national police force has opened an investigation into leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines, and the case is currently being reviewed by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

On the basis of the report filed by the Swedish Police Authority, the prosecutor will determine the next steps, Karl Jigland from the press service of the Swedish Prosecutor's Office told CNN over the phone on Wednesday.

Separately, the Swedish police force told CNN earlier on Wednesday that a police report about an offense had been filed.

"The legal qualification is currently gross sabotage, but this could be subject to change," the police said in an email to CNN.

Swedish authorities on Tuesday warned of leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines -- both of which run under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark, and have been major flashpoints in the energy war between Europe and Russia.

Several European leaders have cited concerns over the cause of the leaks, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referring to the pipeline leaks as "sabotage action" in a tweet on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday the incident is “likely a deliberate action.”

6:55 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Approximately 100,000 Russians have entered Kazakhstan in last week, says government minister

From CNN’s Eve Brennan

People walk next to their cars queuing to cross the border into Kazakhstan from Russia at the Mariinsky border crossing on September 27.
People walk next to their cars queuing to cross the border into Kazakhstan from Russia at the Mariinsky border crossing on September 27. (AP)

About 100,000 Russians have crossed into neighboring Kazakhstan in the last week, according to a senior government official in the country.

Out of the 100,000 Russians who have entered Kazakhstan, more than 64,000 have already left the country, Marat Kozheyev, Kazakh deputy minister of internal affairs, said on Wednesday.

He did not say where they were journeying to.

“No crime or criminal offence involving Russian citizens has been registered within this week,” he added, according to Kazinform, a state-owned news agency.

“They are mostly law-abiding citizens and they have enough money to live here. In case (if) they violate migration legislation, they will be deported. If they commit a criminal offence, they will be brought to justice,” he said.

The Kremlin has faced an exodus of citizens fleeing Russia in recent days, amid domestic backlash against President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of military escalation last week.

Moscow’s strategy to draft 300,000 reservists in the war in Ukraine has prompted anti-mobilization protests and growing resistance against the invasion -- with military-age men leaving the country rather than risk being conscripted.

Russian citizens do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan -- with which Russia shares a 7,000-kilometer (4,350-mile) border in its south -- and can stay visa-free for up to 30 days.

Four of the five EU countries bordering Russia have banned entry for Russians on tourist visas, while queues to cross land borders out of Russia to the former Soviet countries Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia were reportedly taking more than 24 hours.

CNN’s Josh Pennington, Jessie Yeung, Katharina Krebs, Radina Gigova, Simone McCarthy and Sana Noor Haq contributed reporting.

6:02 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

Zelensky accuses Putin of planning to annex occupied Ukrainian regions and force residents into military

From CNN’s Jo Shelley in London 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes a speech via video link to students at Harvard University.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes a speech via video link to students at Harvard University. (President of Ukraine)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Moscow plans to annex four occupied regions in Ukraine and will force people to join the Russian military, saying “either you are killed, or you kill.”

The ballots held in the occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are illegal under international law and have been widely condemned by Western countries as “sham” referendums.

Zelensky claimed the Kremlin planned to “force” people living in the occupied areas to fight in the Russian military. “The goal (of annexation) is obvious -- the occupier wants to take the residents of the occupied territory into the army,” he said during a speech made via video link to students at Harvard University on Tuesday.

"Either you are killed, or you kill -- Russia wants to force hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in the occupied lands to make such a choice." he added.

Any attempt to annex Ukrainian territory “will mean that there is nothing to talk about with this President of Russia,” Zelensky said in another speech to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

 

8:14 a.m. ET, September 28, 2022

NATO chief calls Nord Stream leaks acts of "sabotage"

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London

The Nord Stream pipelines leaks are acts of "sabotage," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting with Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov in Brussels.

"Discussed the sabotage on the #NorthStream pipelines with Defence Minister Morten Bodskov of our valued Ally Denmark. We addressed the protection of critical infrastructure in #NATO countries," Stoltenberg said on his verified Twitter account.

Stoltenberg’s comments came after Swedish authorities warned of multiple leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines -- both of which run under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark, and have been major flashpoints in the energy war between Europe and Russia.

There is reason to be concerned about the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, following the unexplained leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines, Bodskov said after the meeting on Wednesday.

"Russia has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region and we expect them to continue their sabre-rattling," Bodskov said, his press office told CNN.

The two discussed what Stoltenberg called “sabotage” on the Nord Stream pipelines and "addressed the protection of critical infrastructure in NATO countries," Stoltenberg tweeted.

The Danish Defense Ministry said that a total of three leakages -- which European leaders say cannot be ruled out as sabotage -- have been discovered on the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, respectively northeast and southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm.

There are two leakages from Nord Stream 1 and one leakage from Nord Stream 2, the press office told CNN.

The Danish Maritime Authority has issued a navigation warning and established a prohibited area to ensure that vessels do not enter the zones near the leakages.

Vessels can lose buoyant force if they enter the area and there can be an ignition hazard above the water and in the air, the press office said.

A prohibited area has subsequently been created with a radius of 5 nautical miles for ships and a prohibited area of 1 kilometer for aircrafts.

"It is too early to make any conclusions on the causes of the incidents. But at the same time it is hard to imagine this to be pure coincidence. At this point we can’t rule out that this is a deliberate action," Bodskov said.”

"Obviously, this is a very serious matter. That is why we are now taking the precautions that we do, and increasing our presence in the area around Bornholm. Our authorities are doing everything they can to clarify the cause, in close cooperation with our partners," he added.

It might take a week or two before the areas around damaged Nord Stream leaks are calm enough to be investigated, Bodskov’s office confirmed to CNN.

Numerous other global leaders have cited concerns over the cause of the leaks, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referring to the pipeline leaks as "sabotage action" in a tweet on Tuesday.

Finland Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said the damage caused to the pipelines is “very concerning,” while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that if the leaks were the result of an attack, “that’s clearly in no one’s interest.”