Demonstrators against mobilization in Russia shout “we are not meat”
The Kremlin has called claims that Russia is behind the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines “stupid and absurd”.
“It is quite predictable and also predictably stupid to give voice to these kinds of predictably stupid and absurd narratives,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after Ukraine said the leaks were a “terrorist attack” by Moscow.
Peskov added that Moscow saw a sharp increase in the profits of US companies supplying gas to Europe.
Meanwhile, a Western official said the pipeline leaks were a very serious incident, but a full investigation was needed to establish what happened.
“In oil pipelines, of course, this seems very serious. Multiple explosions at the same time, it is very serious and will have to be investigated,” said the Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, EU officials have warned of retaliation in the form of a “robust and united response” to any further attacks on European energy networks.
key points
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Officials installed in Russia are asking Putin to annex the regions of Ukraine
Russian-installed administrators of Ukraine’s Luhansk and Kherson regions have formally asked President Vladimir Putin to incorporate them into Russia, following hastily organized referendums that Ukraine and the West denounced as illegitimate.
Officials installed by Russia in four occupied regions of Ukraine reported large majorities in favor of joining Russia.
Western countries said the votes were a coercive exercise to provide a pretext for Russia to annex around 15 percent of Ukrainian territory and threatened new sanctions against Moscow if the annexation plans went ahead.
Voting in Tuesday’s full results in all four provinces ranged from 87 percent to 99.2 percent in favor of joining Russia, officials said.
In a letter posted on his Telegram account, Vladimir Saldo, the head of Ukraine’s Russian-installed Kherson region, said residents had made “a historic choice” in favor of Russia.
If Russia declares the four Ukrainian regions part of its territory, Putin could describe any Ukrainian attempt to retake them as an attack on Russia itself, justifying a potentially tougher military response.
Russia says it intervened in Ukraine in part to protect Russian-speakers living in the eastern Donbas region, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, from persecution.
Kyiv and the West reject it as a baseless pretext for a wider war of aggression.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 1:55 p.m
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Russian asked Denmark for information on Nord Stream damage
The Russian embassy in Denmark said on Wednesday that Russia had asked Copenhagen to provide information on the damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines as soon as it became known, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
Leaks were detected in the pipes on Monday after they burst in several places in Danish and Swedish waters. The European Union and NATO have attributed the incidents to sabotage.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 1:25 p.m
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Western official: Leaks in Nord Stream pipelines are very serious, very suspicious
Leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Europe are a very serious and highly suspicious event, but a full investigation is needed to establish what happened, a Western official said on Wednesday.
The official did not blame Russia for the leaks, but said President Vladimir Putin should undo his recent series of escalations over the invasion of Ukraine, particularly nuclear rhetoric that he said was “deeply irresponsible.”
Europe is investigating the cause of major leaks in the Baltic Sea from two Russian gas pipelines at the center of an energy standoff with Moscow. Poland’s prime minister said it was an act of sabotage related to Russia’s escalation of the situation in Ukraine.
“In oil pipelines, of course, this seems very serious. Multiple explosions at the same time, it is very serious and will have to be investigated,” said the Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“It definitely looks very suspicious, but I think we have to establish the facts and then attribute them.”
The Western official said the heightened nuclear rhetoric could be a sign of Putin’s panic and his possible realization that invading Ukraine was a mistake, warning that if he used such weapons there would be unspecified serious consequences.
The official called on Russia, as a member of the UN Security Council, to stop using “deeply irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric and de-escalate the crisis.
“We will not be deterred from supporting Ukraine in the defense of its own territory,” the official said. “(Russia) must withdraw from this. And of course there will be very serious consequences if they cross that redder red line.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 12:54 p.m
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‘Highly suspicious’: Europe warns of retaliation for ‘sabotage’ of Nord Stream gas pipeline
The EU has urgently increased security and warned of retaliation after “highly suspicious” damage to the Nord Stream undersea pipeline.
A Western official said the pipeline leaks were a very serious incident, but a full investigation was needed to establish what happened.
“In oil pipelines, of course, this seems very serious. Multiple explosions at the same time, it is very serious and will have to be investigated,” said the Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘Highly suspicious’: Europe warns of retaliation for pipeline ‘sabotage’
EU chief promises ‘robust and united response’
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 12:20 p.m
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The Kremlin says the military campaign in Ukraine will continue at least until it controls the entire Donetsk region
The Kremlin said today that the “special military operation” in Ukraine must continue until Russia takes full control of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the military campaign in Ukraine would continue “at least” until the “liberation” of the “Donetsk People’s Republic,” referring to the administration of the region supported by Russia.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 11:50 am
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Kremlin says Russia claims behind Nord Stream leak ‘stupid’
The Kremlin said claims that Russia was somehow behind the attacks were foolish and that Moscow saw a sharp increase in profits from US companies supplying gas to Europe.
“It is quite predictable and also predictably stupid to give voice to these kinds of predictably stupid and absurd narratives,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after Ukraine said the leaks were a “terrorist attack” by Moscow.
(DANISH DEFENSE/AFP/Getty)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 11:36 am
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Russians recruited to fight in Ukraine told to use tampons to treat gunshot wounds
Russian reservists called up to fight in Ukraine are reportedly being asked to take tampons and sanitary napkins with them to use as bandages because the military is running out of first aid supplies.
A video widely shared on social media platform Telegram shows a military officer yelling at a crowd of recruits that they are responsible for their own first aid kits.
“Take sleeping bags with you. You will have to sleep wherever you have to”, says the agent.
My colleague Sravasti Dasgupta has more:
Russians recruited to fight in Ukraine told to use tampons to treat gunshot wounds
‘Do you know what tampons are for? You put it directly into the bullet wound and that’s it!
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 11:20 am
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Denmark’s defense minister is concerned about security in the Baltic Sea region
Denmark’s defense minister said today that there are reasons to be concerned about the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, highlighting as the latest example the alleged sabotage of the two Nord Stream gas pipelines.
“Russia has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region and we expect them to continue their sabres,” Morten Bodskov said in a statement after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. the
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 10:50 am
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Ukraine-Russia War: What is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and how could the crisis affect it?
Nord Stream 2 is a 745-mile pipeline running between Ust-Luga near western Russia’s border with Estonia and Greifswald in northeastern Germany, intended to deliver natural gas to central Europe via sea baltic
Construction of the project was completed in September 2021 at a cost of £8.3 billion, but it has yet to receive the European regulatory approval needed to allow its operator, Russian state gas giant Gazprom, to turn on the taps.
That may never happen, after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the pipeline would be blocked in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, February 24.
My colleague Joe Sommerlad reports:
What is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and how could the Ukraine-Russia crisis affect it?
Lucrative natural gas pipeline to Germany under the Baltic Sea blocked by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in response to Vladimir Putin’s aggression
Maryam Zakir-Hussain September 28, 2022 10:20 am
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The head of the EU promises that the retaliation is that the damage to the gas pipeline is sabotage
European Union officials suspect the damage to two undersea natural gas pipelines was sabotage and warn of retaliation for any attack on Europe’s energy grids.
In a statement on behalf of the 27 member states, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “All available information indicates that these leaks are the result of a deliberate act.
“Any deliberate disruption of Europe’s energy infrastructure is totally unacceptable and will receive a strong and united response.”
Seismologists reported on Tuesday that explosions rocked the Baltic Sea before unusual leaks…