September 30, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Andrew Raine, Sana Noor Haq and Adrienne Vogt, CNN

Updated 6:14 p.m. ET, September 30, 2022
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6:56 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

Moscow will recognize all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Russian territory, including areas controlled by Ukraine

From CNN's Tim Lister and Anna Chernova

Russia will recognize the entirety of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics within their declared borders of 2014 as part of its territory, the Kremlin told CNN on Friday.

The laws of the self-declared republics state that their borders are those of the whole Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian forces currently control about 40% of the eastern Donetsk region.

When asked if the territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) that are currently under Ukraine’s control will be considered as part of Russia as well, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "De jure yes. By joining the Russian Federation, a state that has been recognized by us within the boundaries of 2014 is joining."

The territory of the DPR that is not currently controlled by the Russian army "will have to be liberated," Peskov added.

Peskov could not immediately provide an answer about Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the two other areas where so-called referendums were held, adding: "I need to confirm this."

The announcements come after people in four occupied areas of Ukraine supposedly voted in huge numbers in favor of joining Russia, in five-day polls that were illegal under international law and dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a sham.

Some context: Russian President Vladimir Putin will preside over the start of the process to formally annex more Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine at the Kremlin on Friday. Agreements will be signed on absorbing the four occupied territories to the Russian Federation.

On Thursday, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — a necessary formality before they are annexed. 

Western leaders saw Putin's decision to identify Donetsk and Luhansk in early February as an attack on Ukrainian sovereignty that served as a pretext for war. Days later, Moscow launched its military assault on Kyiv.

6:42 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

Kremlin will consider attacks on newly annexed territories as aggression against Russia 

From CNN's Anna Chernova

The Kremlin has reiterated that any attacks on Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia will be considered as acts of aggression against the country itself.

When asked whether, after annexation documents are signed, Russia would perceive attacks by Ukrainian forces on annexed territories as an act of aggression against Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It won't be anything else."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov waits to watch the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov waits to watch the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9. (Kirill Kudryavtsey/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to sign documents formally annexing four areas of Ukraine — up to 18% of Ukrainian territory — at a ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday.

The ceremony follows so-called referendums held by Russian-backed authorities in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia on joining Russia. The votes are illegal under international law and have been dismissed by Kyiv and Western leaders as "a sham."

The four separate agreements on the admission of new territories to the Russian Federation will be signed in the Kremlin at a ceremony attended by Russian-installed heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and of occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

6:30 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

Zelensky condemns Russian attack on civilian convoy in Zaporizhzhia, as death toll rises to 25

From Olga Voitovych and Victoria Butenko

People walk between cars damaged by a missile strike on a road near Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on September 30.
People walk between cars damaged by a missile strike on a road near Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on September 30. (Kateryna Klochko/AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the Russian forces who carried out a missile attack on an evacuation convoy in Zaporizhzhia are "downright terrorists."

Russian shelling bombarded a civilian convoy leaving the city in southeastern Ukraine on Friday morning, with images from the scene showed battered vehicles strewn on the ground.

The number of people killed in the shelling has risen to 25 and about 50 people are injured, including children, according to the Prosecutor General's office.

"The terrorist state fires missiles at the civilian population in Zaporizhzhia, the Mykolaiv region, the Dnipropetrovsk region. Hits Ukrainian regions with MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) and drones," Zelensky said on Telegram.

"The occupiers fired 16 missiles at Zaporizhzhia and surroundings this morning alone. This can only be done by downright terrorists, who should have no place in the civilized world."

"People were in line to leave for the temporarily occupied territory, to pick up their relatives, to deliver aid," Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, said earlier on Telegram.

The attack took place at 7:30 a.m. local time (12:30 a.m.) at a used car market where vehicles had gathered before proceeding to a crossing point into Russian-held territory further south. 

6:22 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

Moscow-installed official in Kherson region killed in strike, says Russian state media

From CNN's Anna Chernova and Sarah Dean

Handout image of Alexey Katerinichev
Handout image of Alexey Katerinichev (Russian Ministry of Emergencies)

A Moscow-installed official in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine has been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike, according to Russian state media.

"On September 30, Alexey Katerinichev, First Deputy Head of the Military-Civilian Administration of the Kherson Region, tragically died while doing his duty," a statement from Russia's Ministry of Emergencies added.

Katerinichev was born in the Russian city of Rybinsk, in the Yaroslavl region, and took up the post in the Kherson region in August, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

He was previously the first deputy head of the Leader Center for High Risk Rescue Operations and prior to that served in the Federal Border Service and the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Emergencies statement said.

Katerinichev "organized the activities of the Operational Headquarters of the FSB of Russia in the Kaliningrad region. For his courage and heroism, he was repeatedly awarded military orders and medals," the statement added.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the attack.

6:00 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

UK "will never accept" Moscow's annexation of four occupied Ukrainian regions, prime minister says

From CNN's Luke McGee in London

British Prime Minister Liz Truss attends her first Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London, England, on September 7.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss attends her first Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London, England, on September 7. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Reuters)

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said the UK will "never accept" four occupied regions in Ukraine as anything other than Ukrainian territory, ahead of a Kremlin ceremony during which Russia is expected to formally annex the areas.

In recent days, Kremlin-backed authorities held referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia on joining Russia. The votes are illegal under international law and have been dismissed by Kyiv and Western leaders as "a sham."

"We will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory," Truss in a statement on Friday.

"Vladimir Putin has, once again, acted in violation of international law with clear disregard for the lives of the Ukrainian people he claims to represent.

"The UK will never ignore the sovereign will of those people and we will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory. 

"Putin cannot be allowed to alter international borders using brute force. We will ensure he loses this illegal war." 

3:38 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

One killed, dozens of buses destroyed in missile attack on Dnipro, Ukrainian officials say

From Olga Voitovych

Russian cruise missiles have hit the depot of a transport company in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing one person and setting fire to dozens of buses.

Valentyn Reznichenko, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said one person was killed and five were injured after Russian “Iskander” cruise missiles hit the city.

"Fifty-two buses were burnt, another 98 were damaged. Several high-rise buildings, a gymnasium, a store and administrative buildings were damaged," Reznichenko said.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the President's Office in Kyiv, said two missiles had hit the area.

2:08 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

Head of Russian region of Dagestan lashes out at local draft officers

From CNN's Josh Pennington and Mohammed Tawfeeq

Dagestan's President Sergey Melikov attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg on June 16.
Dagestan's President Sergey Melikov attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg on June 16. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

The head of the Russian Republic of Dagestan expressed his anger in a video on Thursday toward draft officers who had been driving around the city of Derbent, calling on loudspeakers for "all male citizens to report to military enlistment offices.

"How could the Derbent draft officers ask people to report to the enlistment and registration office in such a manner?!" Dagestan's President Sergey Melikov said in a video during a meeting of the Security Council of Dagestan.

"Who authorized them to drive around the city?!" he added.

During his tirade, he played a short video clip on his phone. The audio plays the following message: "Dear citizens of Derbent, all male citizens must immediately report to the Derbent enlistment office. You must have your passport and military identity card with you."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's "partial mobilization" decree stipulated that reserve servicemen with previous military experience and men with professional experience required by the military would be called up. A total of 300,000 reservists are eligible to be drafted, according to the decree.

Some context: Since Putin's declaration of a "partial mobilization" last week, hundreds of civilians have taken part in a wave of protests against the military mobilization in Dagestan, according to social media videos circulated online.

Protesters nationwide have accused the Russian military of drafting students, fathers and men whose age should exempt them from service.

On Thursday, Putin demanded that "mistakes" made during the partial mobilization be rectified.

In the course of this mobilization, many questions arise and it is necessary to correct all the mistakes and prevent them from happening in the future for those citizens who need an exemption," Putin said in a recorded statement.

"For example, fathers of multiple children or people suffering from chronic diseases or those who are already beyond the age of military service. It is necessary to consider each such case separately."

"And if a mistake is made, then I repeat, it needs to be corrected. Return home those who were called up without a proper reason," he continued.

3:36 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

Russia expected to begin formally annexing four occupied Ukrainian territories Friday

From CNN's Anna Chernova, Joshua Berlinger and Rob Picheta

Workers fix a banner reading "Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!" on top of a construction installed in front of the State Historical Museum outside Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on September 29.
Workers fix a banner reading "Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!" on top of a construction installed in front of the State Historical Museum outside Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on September 29. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia will on Friday begin formally annexing up to 18% of Ukrainian territory, with President Vladimir Putin expected to host a ceremony in the Kremlin to declare four occupied Ukrainian territories part of Russia.

The ceremony will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) in the Kremlin’s St. George’s Hall, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin will give a speech and meet with Russian-backed leaders of the four occupied regions on the sidelines of the ceremony, he added. 

The announcements come after people in four occupied areas of Ukraine supposedly voted in huge numbers in favor of joining Russia, in five-day polls that were illegal under international law and dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a sham.

The so-called referendums were organized by Russian-backed separatists in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in the eastern Donbas region, where fighting has raged since rebels seized control of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014.

The other two areas to hold so-called referendums were Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. Russia has occupied the two regions since shortly after it invaded the country in late February. On Thursday, Putin signed decrees recognizing the two regions as independent.

Should Russia proceed to annex the territories, it would violate “everything the international community is meant to stand for,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

“Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” Guterres said. “It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. It must not be accepted.”

Meanwhile, the European Union on Wednesday proposed additional sanctions in retaliation for Moscow’s annexation plan, targeting “those involved in Russia's occupation and illegal annexation of areas of Ukraine,” including “the proxy Russian authorities in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and other Russian individuals who organized and facilitated the sham referenda in these four occupied territories of Ukraine.”

Read the full report.

2:00 a.m. ET, September 30, 2022

US Secretary of Defense says cause of Nord Stream explosions won't be known until probe is finished

From CNN's Ellie Kaufman

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holds a press conference in Prague on September 9.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holds a press conference in Prague on September 9. ( Lukas Kabon/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said while there is “a lot of speculation” about who caused the explosions near the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that funnel gas from Russia to Europe, “until a complete investigation is done, no one will really be able to determine for certain what happened.” 

Austin made the remarks in Hawaii after a bilateral meeting with the Philippine Senior Undersecretary and Officer in Charge of the Department of National Defense Jose Faustino Jnr

Austin spoke with Denmark's Minister of Defense Morten Bødskov yesterday by phone. Austin said he offered Denmark “any assistance that the United States may provide.” 

Bødskov told Austin it “will be several days before he is able to get the right team in to look at the sites and try to really determine as best as possible what happened,” Austin said.

Until that, until we get further information or are able to do further analysis, we won’t speculate on who may have been responsible,” Austin added.