Russian-installed officials in occupied regions of Ukraine reported huge majorities on Tuesday in favour of becoming part of Russia after five days of voting in so-called referendums that Kyiv and the West have denounced as a sham. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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11:15pm: US asks UN Security Council to condemn Russia for 'sham' referendums in Ukraine
The United States will introduce a resolution at the United Nations Security Council condemning referendums held by Russia in occupied regions of Ukraine, the US Ambassador to the UN said on Tuesday.
The resolution, to be introduced jointly with Albania, will call on member states not to recognise any altered status of Ukraine and also obligate Russia to withdraw its troops, envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at a council meeting.
"Russia’s sham referenda, if accepted, will open a pandora’s box that we cannot close," she said.
The United States is working quickly to introduce resolution, a US official said, providing no details on when it would official.
Russia has the ability to veto a resolution, but Thomas-Greenfield said: "If Russia chooses to shield itself from accountability here in the Council, we will then look to the UN General Assembly to send an unmistakable message to Moscow."
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, did not directly address the resolution Thomas-Greenfield said the United States would introduce but told the meeting that the referendums were conducted transparently and upholding electoral norms.
"This process is going to continue if Kyiv does not recognise its mistakes and its strategic errors and doesn't start to be guided by the interests of its own people and not blindly carry out the will of those people who are playing them," he said.
Ukraine has said voting was carried out at gunpoint in many cases.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Security Council that the results were pre-determined as he called for Russia to be excluded from all international organizations and for new sanctions against Moscow.
"Russia's recognition of these sham referendums as normal, the implementation of the so-called Crimean scenario and another attempt to annex Ukrainian territory will mean that there is nothing to talk about with the president of Russia," Zelensky said in virtual remarks. Russian annexed the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014.
China's Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun told the meeting that isolation and sanctions would only "lead to a dead end."
China has given Russia diplomatic support since Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion and Zhang repeated Beijing's call for negotiations that "include the respective legitimate concerns" to end the conflict.
10:14pm: 'So many' Ukrainians no longer have pro-Russian views
"Seen from Kyiv, I think that people here just think they're just making up the result – giving it, what, 98 percent in favour of annexation, at least in some of those regions," FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reported from the Ukrainian capital.
"Of course, there are some people in those areas of Ukraine who do support Russia, particularly in those parts of the Donbas that have been under de facto Russian occupation since 2014, and therefore have had access pretty much only to Russian media,” Cragg continued. “But the anecdotal evidence that we get from southern Ukraine in particular, and the parts of the Donbas that have been occupied in recent months [...] is that there is very strong resistance to Russian occupation."
“I've spoken to so many people who say they used to have pro-Russian attitudes; they used to vote for pro-Russian political parties in Ukraine and they've changed their minds after seeing the brutality of the Russian army and this totally unjustified invasion of Ukraine."
10:07pm: 'Further escalation' on the cards from Russia
"Moscow's rhetoric will escalate as the annexation is being formalised, and of course this serves the purpose for Russians to formally annex and absorb these territories," said Natia Seskuria, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
"We have seen how – under what circumstances – these sham referendums have been held. And, in conjunction with this, we have heard some escalatory rhetoric from Dmitry Medvedev for example, the former president of Russia, reiterating basically Putin's claims about the nuclear threat. So as the results are being announced, I think the rhetoric will become tougher and will point at further escalation of this war."
9:21pm: Moscow's proxies in occupied Ukraine regions claim big votes to join Russia
Russian-installed officials in occupied regions of Ukraine reported huge majorities on Tuesday in favour of becoming part of Russia after five days of voting in so-called referendums that Kyiv and the West denounced as a sham.
Hastily arranged votes had taken place in four areas – the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and to the south Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – that make up about 15% of Ukrainian territory.
Luhansk authorities said 98.5% of people there had voted to join Russia, based on 69% of ballots counted. In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian-appointed official put the figure at 93.1 % with the count now completed. while in Kherson the "yes" vote was running at more than 87%, according to the head of the voting committee.
Russia's Tass news agency said 93.95% in Donetsk region had voted in favour, with nearly 32% of the ballots counted.
Within the occupied territories, Russian-installed officials took ballot boxes from house to house in what Ukraine and the West said was an illegitimate, coercive exercise to create a legal pretext for Russia to annex the four regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin could then portray any Ukrainian attempt to recapture them as an attack on Russia itself. He said last week he was willing to use nuclear weapons to defend the "territorial integrity" of Russia.
8:56pm: US to propose UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia over 'referendums' in Ukraine
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield will on Tuesday introduce a resolution at the United Nations Security Council condemning referendums held by Russia in occupied regions of Ukraine, according to a US official.
The resolution, to be introduced jointly with Albania, will call on member states not to recognise any altered status of Ukraine and also obligate Russia to withdraw its troops from its neighbour, the official said.
8:45pm: CIA warned Berlin about possible attacks on gas pipelines in summer
The CIA had weeks ago warned Germany about possible attacks on gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, German magazine Spiegel said on Tuesday, after gas leaks in Russia pipelines to Germany were reported.
The German government received the CIA tip in summer, Spiegel reported, citing unnamed sources, adding that Berlin assumes a targeted attack on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
A German government spokesperson declined to comment, Spiegel added.
8:40pm: Nord Stream leaks were deliberate actions, Danish PM says
Leaks on the Nord Stream pipelines near a Danish island in the Baltic Sea are due to "deliberate acts" and "not an accident", Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday.
Copenhagen expects the leaks at the pipelines, which are not operational but full of gas, will last "at least a week" -- until the methane escaping from the underwater pipes runs out, the Danish energy and climate minister said at a press conference.
6:40pm: NATO warns Russia of 'severe consequences' in case of nuclear strike
Any use of nuclear weapons by Russia is unacceptable and would have severe consequences, NATO said on Tuesday after an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, former President Dmitry Medvedev, issued another stark warning to Ukraine and the West.
"Any use of nuclear weapons is absolutely unacceptable, it will totally change the nature of the conflict, and Russia must know that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"When we see that kind of nuclear rhetoric again and again from Russia, from President Putin, it is something that we have to take seriously – and therefore we are conveying the clear message that this will have severe consequences for Russia."
5:07pm: Number of Russians crossing into EU up by 30%, border agency says
The number of Russians entering the EU has jumped following a partial mobilisation ordered by Moscow, and illegal crossings are likely to increase should Russia decide to close the border for potential conscripts, EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday.
"Over the past week, nearly 66,000 Russian citizens entered the EU, more than 30% compared to the preceding week. Most of them arrived to Finland and Estonia," Frontex said in a statement.
Over the last four days alone, 30,000 Russian citizens arrived in Finland, according to the statement.
4:49pm: Explosions recorded before pipeline leaks, raising Russian sabotage fears
Europe was racing on Tuesday to investigate possible sabotage behind sudden and unexplained leaks in two Russian gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, infrastructure at the heart of an energy crisis since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Photos taken by the Danish military showed large masses of bubbles on the surface of the water emanating from the three leaks located in Sweden's and Denmark's economic zones, spreading from 200 to 1,000 metres (656 feet to 0.62 miles) in diameter.
"It's hard to imagine that it's accidental," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, noting that it was "unusual" for the leaks to happen at such a distance from each other.
The Swedish National Seismic Network recorded two "massive releases of energy" shortly prior to the gas leaks and near their locations off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm, Peter Schmidt, an Uppsala University seismologist told AFP.
"With energy releases this big there isn't much else than a blast that could cause it," he added. "You can see that they are quite sudden. It is a very sudden energy release. It's not a slow collapse of something."
4:36pm: 'Men with guns going around polling booths'
"Officials in Kyiv have been absolutely clear that they do not consider these referendums to be real in any way, and have very much welcomed the condemnation that has been coming from all of Ukraine's allies and pretty much the whole international community; clearly stating that these cannot be considered real referendums," FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reported from Ukraine.
"We've been reporting [...] about violations, about intimidation of voters in these occupied areas, and there's more and more evidence of that coming out," Cragg continued. "Also, apart from people who are able to communicate with Ukraine-held [areas of Ukraine] via encrypted messaging apps and things like that, there are people who were actually leaving those areas over the last few days, and as they come out they tell journalists there stories about being intimidated, men with guns going around in the polling booths and basically saying 'look, you'd better vote for being annexed by Russia'."
4:35pm: 'Putin needs good news'
The results of the so-called referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine are "scores reminiscent of the former Soviet era", said FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Philip Turle. "This is not going to be taken at all seriously by the West."
The votes were only announced "last Friday by Vladimir Putin; they're just going to be cementing the feeling in the West that these are sham referendums, [...] applied by Russia just to annex these territories, which account for about 15 percent of Ukrainian land”, Turle went on.
“The thing that we don't know right now [...] is what exactly Vladimir Putin is going to do next. There are rumours flying around, if anything can be compared to what happened in 2014 in Crimea, that annexation will probably take place quite quickly. Maybe even by the end of this week on Friday – because Vladimir Putin has been losing ground in the war on Ukraine; he needs good news for the Russian people."
4:33pm: Officials say 98,000 Russians enter Kazakhstan after call-up
About 98,000 Russians have crossed into Kazakhstan in the week since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation of reservists to fight in Ukraine, Kazakh officials said Tuesday, as men seeking to avoid the call-up continued to flee by land and air into neighbouring countries.
Kazakhstan and Georgia, both part of the former Soviet Union, appeared to be the most popular destinations for those crossing by car, bicycle or on foot.
Those with visas for Finland or Norway also have been coming in by land. Plane tickets abroad sold out quickly despite steep prices.
4:31pm: Russia issues fresh nuclear weapons warning
Ex-president Dmitry Medvedev's warning differed from earlier ones in that he predicted for the first time that the NATO military alliance would not risk a nuclear war and directly enter the Ukraine war even if Moscow struck Ukraine with nuclear weapons.
"I believe that NATO would not directly interfere in the conflict even in this scenario," Medvedev said in a post on Telegram.
"The demagogues across the ocean and in Europe are not going to die in a nuclear apocalypse."
Tuesday's nuclear warning is one of several issued by Putin and his associates in recent weeks. Analysts say they are designed to deter Ukraine and the West by hinting at a readiness to use tactical nuclear weapons to defend newly annexed territory, where Russian forces have faced strong Ukrainian counteroffensives in recent weeks.
4:28pm: Russian POWs face torture, UN rights team says
UN human rights investigators say Ukrainian prisoners of war appear to be facing “systematic” mistreatment — including torture – both when they are captured and when they are transferred into areas controlled by Russian forces or Russia itself.
The head of a monitoring mission set up by the UN human rights office said Tuesday that Russia must address such mistreatment, which amounts a “grave violation” of international law.
The mission issued its first comprehensive look at rights violations and abuses committed by both sides of the war between February 1 and July 31 – covering the first months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24. The mission, which tracks the situation daily, has been monitoring rights in Ukraine ever since a conflict involving Russian-backed insurgents began in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
The report, based on a strict methodology to verify claims, documented crimes including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, summary executions, torture, and sexual violence – much of which have been brought to light by rights monitors, advocacy groups and the news media in recent months.
4:21pm: Kyiv says Nord Stream gas leaks a 'terrorist attack' by Moscow
Ukraine said Tuesday that reported leaks on Russia's Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Europe and its twin pipeline Nord Stream 2 were likely caused by a "terrorist attack" by Moscow.
"The large-scale 'gas leak' from Nord Stream 1 is nothing more than a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression towards the EU," Kyiv's presidential advisor Mikhaylo Podolyak said on Twitter.
>> Europe suspects sabotage as mystery leaks hit Russian gas pipelines
3:27pm: First partial results show over 96% in occupied Ukraine regions favour joining Russia, RIA says
First partial voting results from four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine showed overwhelming majorities of residents in favour of joining Russia, Russian state news agency RIA said on Tuesday, after so-called referendums that Kyiv and the West have denounced as a sham.
3:24pm: Norwegian gas pipeline opens in Poland after Russian cut
A new pipeline to carry Norwegian gas via Denmark was opened in Poland on Tuesday in a move to strengthen Europe's energy security after Russia cut off Warsaw's supplies.
The project is part of years-long efforts by Poland to wean itself off its dependence on Russian gas, which once represented two-thirds of its annual consumption.
This year, Russian giant Gazprom stopped supplies altogether after Polish gas operator PGNiG refused to pay its bill in rubles following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
3:24pm: France wants EU cap on price of gas-fuelled power
France has suggested the EU caps the price of gas used to produce electricity to try to tame surging energy costs, as European countries step up efforts to tackle the crisis.
The EU put forward proposals last week to tackle the sky-high energy prices that are fuelling inflation and threatening recession.
Countries are set to approve those plans this week – but already, Brussels is already looking into extra measures, as some countries seek deeper EU interventions to curb the price of gas.
2:51pm: German population hits a record 84 million due to Ukraine refugees
The influx of Ukrainian refugees to Germany has pushed the country's population to a new all-time high of more than 84 million, the German Federal Statistical Office said Tuesday.
By the end of June, the country's population increased by 843,000 people, or 1%, compared to the end of 2021.
In comparison, the population grew by 82,000 people, or 0.1%, in the entire year of 2021.
Around 750,000 Ukrainian refugees came to Germany seeking safety from the Russian invasion in the first half of 2022.
2:32pm: Moscow says will not seek extradition of Russians fleeing draft
Moscow said Tuesday it will not request the extradition of Russians travelling abroad to avoid being called-up to fight in Ukraine, after thousands of military-aged men crossed into neighbouring countries.
"The Russian ministry of defence has not sent any request to the authorities of Kazakhstan, Georgia, or any other country for the alleged forced return to Russian soil of Russian citizens, and it is not planning to do so," the ministry said in a statement.
Neighbouring countries have seen Russians arriving en masse since the draft was announced last Wednesday, with hours-long queues at border crossings.
1:32pm: Putin wants to 'save people' of Moscow-held Ukrainian territories
President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia wanted to "save people" in four Moscow-controlled territories in Ukraine, on the last day of annexation votes denounced as a sham by Western leaders.
"Saving people in the territories where this referendum is taking place... is the focus of the attention of our entire society and of the entire country," Putin said during a televised meeting with officials.
1:03pm: EU to sanction organisers of Russia votes in Ukraine
The EU said Tuesday it will slap sanctions on organisers of "illegal" votes in four occupied regions of Ukraine that Russia is conducting as "referendums" with the aim of annexation.
"There would be consequences for all people who participate in the illegal, illegitimate referendums," Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, told journalists as the voting took place for a fifth and final day.
12:26pm: Premature to speculate on cause of Russian gas pipeline leaks: EU Commission
The European Commission on Tuesday said it was premature to speculate on the cause of leaks in the two Nord Stream pipelines designed to bring gas from Russia to Europe.
"At this stage, it's very premature to speculate on what the causes are... The member states are looking into this issue, we will remain in close contact with them, but it's really not the moment to speculate," a Commission spokesman told a regular EU news conference.
The Commission is following developments on the leaks closely, and so far does not see any impact on Europe's security of supply, the spokesman said. Although neither were in operation, both pipelines still contained gas under pressure.
11:48am: What happens after Russia's 'referendums' in Ukraine?
Although Kyiv, Western countries and many observers see the current polls in the Russian-controlled areas as a "sham", Moscow is keen to give the polls a veneer of respectability by following a superficially legitimate voting process.
There will therefore be a period of ballot counting, after which "electoral commissions" set up by the Kremlin in each of the four regions will announce "provisional results". These are expected on Tuesday evening or later this week.
If the regions vote to be annexed by Russia -- which is a foregone conclusion -- the Russian parliament, the State Duma, will approve a treaty formally incorporating the four regions into Russian territory.
Following the parliamentary process, President Vladimir Putin is expected on Friday to formally declare the Ukrainian regions have become part of Russia, according to Russian news agencies.
This could take the form of an address at the Kremlin to the members of one or both houses of parliament.
11:38am: Sabotage cannot be ruled out as reason for Nord Stream damage, says Kremlin
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it could not rule out sabotage as a reason behind the damage to the Russia-built network of Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
Nord Stream AG, the network's operator, said earlier on Tuesday that three offshore lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system had sustained "unprecedented" damage in one day.
"No option can be ruled out right now," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a conference call with reporters when asked if sabotage was the reason for the damage.
He also said the Kremlin was very concerned about the situation, which requires a prompt investigation as it was an issue for the energy security of the "entire continent".
11:30am: Russians arriving daily in Georgia double since draft, minister says
The number of Russians arriving daily in neighbouring Georgia has nearly doubled since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation for the war in Ukraine, officials in Tbilisi said Tuesday.
Putin's announcement has sparked a new wave of exodus to the Caucasus country of Georgia which has been a major destination for Russians fleeing since the war began on February 24.
"Four to five days ago 5,000-6,000 (Russians) were arriving in Georgia daily. The number has grown to some 10,000 per day," Georgia's Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri told journalists.
Over the first four months of the war, nearly 50,000 Russians have fled to Georgia, where they can stay for a year without a visa, the tiny Black Sea nation's statistics office said in June.
The influx of Russians has sparked mixed feelings in a country where painful memories of Russia's 2008 invasion are still fresh.
10:24am: French Foreign Minister Colonna in Kyiv for visit
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna was in Kyiv on Tuesday on an unannounced visit to Ukraine in a show of support for the country invaded by Russia.
"Good morning Ukraine, it's good to be back," she wrote on social media, posting a picture of herself walking in Kyiv with the French ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.
9:36am: Voting to wrap up in Russia-held areas of Ukraine
The final day of voting took place in Russian-held regions of Ukraine on Tuesday. This referendum is expected to serve as a pretext for their annexation by Moscow but has been rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies as a sham.
The five-day period of voting, in which residents are asked whether they want their regions to become part of Russia, has been anything but free or fair. Tens of thousands of residents had already fled the regions amid the war, and images shared by those who remained showed armed Russian troops going door-to-door to pressure Ukrainians into voting.
The balloting on Tuesday was held at polling stations.
The Kremlin is expected to move immediately to absorb the regions once the voting is over, with President Vlaidmir Putin expected to declare their incorporation into Russia later this week.
Russian media also speculated that Putin may follow up on last week's order of partial mobilisation by declaring martial law and shutting the nation's borders for all men of fighting age.
FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg tells us more from Ukraine about the annexation 'referendums' as they finish up.
9:22am: Russia's Medvedev warns West that nuclear threat 'is not a bluff'
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that Moscow has the right to defend itself with nuclear weapons if it is pushed beyond its limits and that this is "certainly not a bluff".
Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also warned that Moscow has the right to respond "without much consultation", as tensions rise with the West over referendums held in large swathes of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Medvedev has regularly issued aggressive statements on the West and Ukraine in recent months, underlining his transformation from an apparently Western-minded liberaliser as president from 2008-2012 to strident geopolitical hawk.
9:18am: Kazakhstan to ensure safety of Russians fleeing draft
Kazakhstan will ensure the care and safety of Russians fleeing a "hopeless situation," the president of the Central Asian country said on Tuesday, as Russian men fled the military call-up.
"Recently we've had many people from Russia coming here," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. "Most of them are forced to leave because of the hopeless situation. We must take care of them and ensure their safety."
8:45am: Putin to announce annexation of occupied regions on September 30, says UK
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to announce the accession of Ukraine's occupied regions to the Russian Federation during his speech to parliament on September 30, the UK ministry of defence said. Referendums in the territories are expected to end on September 27, the ministry of defence said.
"Russia's leaders almost certainly hope that any accession announcement will be seen as a vindication of the 'special military operation' and will consolidate patriotic support for the conflict," the ministry said.
07:45am: Japan slams 'unbelievable' treatment of diplomat detained in Russia
Japan on Tuesday demanded Russia apologise for detaining a diplomat over alleged espionage, denying the charge and accusing Moscow of blindfolding and pinning the man down in "unbelievable acts".
The Japanese diplomat based in the eastern city of Vladivostok was deemed "persona non grata over illegal intelligence activities", top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, citing the Russian foreign ministry.
"The official was blindfolded, with pressure applied to both his hands and head so he was unable to move while being detained, and then he was questioned in an overbearing way," Matsuno said.
Japan "strongly protests these unbelievable acts", he said, denying the espionage allegations.
The diplomat has been released and will leave Russia by Wednesday, he added.
06:49am: Kremlin proxies in Ukraine hold last day of discredited referendums
Annexation polls organised by Kremlin-installed authorities in four regions of Ukraine mostly controlled by Russian forces were due to close Tuesday, with Moscow's threats of nuclear weapons looming.
Kyiv and its allies have denounced the votes as a sham and said the West would never recognise the results of the ballots which are ratcheting up the stakes of Russia's seven-month invasion.
The four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine -- Donetsk and Lugansk in the east and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south -- announced that they would hold the votes just days before voting began on Friday.
US President Joe Biden said the polls were a "sham" and little more than a "false pretext to try to annex parts of Ukraine by force".
Kremlin-backed leaders in the regions have said provisional results could be expected around Tuesday evening or in the days that follow. Lawmakers would then be expected to vote to formally annex the four territories, which would need Putin's signature to be enacted.
12:15am: US Congress negotiators set nearly $12 bln in new Ukraine aid -sources
Negotiators of a stop-gap spending bill in the US Congress have agreed to include nearly $12 billion in new military and economic aid to Ukraine, sources familiar with the talks said on Monday, reflecting continued bipartisan support for the Kyiv government in the wake of Russia's invasion.
In response to a request from the Biden administration, the funding would include $4.5 billion to provide defence capabilities and equipment for Ukraine, as well as $2.7 billion to continue military, intelligence and other defense support, said the sources, who asked not to be identified ahead of the announcement.
It also will include $4.5 billion to continue to provide direct budget support to the Kyiv government through the next quarter. That way President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration can pay salaries to essential staff, support Ukrainians fleeing conflict and cover other critical expenses to help civilians, a government official said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
