Ukraine war: We retook 6,000 sq km from Russia in September, says Zelensky

SEP 13: Volodymyr Zelensky said troops have now retaken more than 6,000 sq km (2,317 sq miles) from Russian control in September, in the east and the south. The BBC cannot verify these figures. Russia has admitted losing key cities in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, in what is seen by some military experts as a potential breakthrough in the war. Moscow describes its troop withdrawal from the region in recent days as a "regrouping" with the aim of focusing on the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in Ukraine's east. That claim has been ridiculed even in Russia, with many social media users there describing the stated pull-out as "shameful". Speaking to the BBC on Monday evening, Mason Clark of the US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this was "a complete rout" of the Russian troops, who were forced to leave lots of equipment behind. And the BBC's James Waterhouse said it was the most significant Russian military retreat since its failed campaign near the capital Kyiv in late March. Speaking later on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukrainian forces had made "significant progress" in their counter-offensive, but added that it was too early to predict the outcome. "The Russians maintain very significant forces in Ukraine as well as equipment and arms and munitions. They continue to use it indiscriminately against not just the Ukrainian armed forces but civilians and civilian infrastructure as we've seen," Mr Blinken said. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Russia still holds about a fifth of the country. In his late video address on Monday, President Zelensky said: "From the beginning of September until today, our warriors have already liberated more than 6,000 sq km of the territory of Ukraine - in the east and south". "The movement of our troops continues," he said. The counter-offensive appears to have been rapid. Last Thursday, President Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had retaken 1,000 sq km, but by Sunday that stated figure had tripled to 3,000 sq km. Mr Zelensky thanked several of Ukraine's brigades involved in the counter-offensive, describing their fighters as "true heroes". He did not reveal which Ukrainian cities and villages had been liberated. Russia's military earlier admitted that its troops had to leave the key cities of Balakliya, Izyum and Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. Russia now controls only a small eastern part of the region. Significant - albeit slower - advances by Ukrainian troops have also been reported in the southern Kherson region, which borders with Crimea - a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. UK defence officials say the Ukrainian army's recent successes will have "significant implications" for Russia's overall operational design. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has insisted that military operations in Ukraine will continue "until all the tasks that were initially set" have been fulfilled. Russia says its forces have been carrying out strikes in those areas retaken by Ukraine in recent days. With inputs from BBC

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Ukraine war: Zelensky visits The Hague as fresh blasts rock Kyiv

May 4: Explosions have been heard in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, a day after Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on the Kremlin. Attacks were also reported in Zaporizhzhia and Odesa in the south. The air strikes come

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Ukraine war: Zelensky says situation in Bakhmut worsening

Feb. 28, 2023: The situation in the city of Bakhmut, on the eastern frontline, is becoming "more and more difficult", Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Russian forces have been trying to take the city for over six months. "The enemy is co

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Ukraine war: Biden tells Zelensky his country will never stand alone

Dec 22: "You will never stand alone," Mr Biden told Mr Zelensky as he visited the White House on his first overseas trip since the Russian invasion began. Mr Biden confirmed a new package of more than $2bn (£1.7bn) in assistance for Ukraine and promised another $45bn. Mr Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Washington's backing. At Wednesday's joint news conference, Mr Biden told reporters he was "not at all worried" about holding the international coalition together. Amid concerns that some allies may be feeling the strain of the conflict's cost and disruption to global food and energy supplies, the US president said he felt "very good" about the solidarity of support for Ukraine. Mr Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "no intention of stopping this cruel war". As Ukraine's most important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, financial and security assistance - far more than any other country. Mr Zelensky - wearing his trademark combat-green sweatshirt and boots - expressed hope that Congress would pass the extra $45bn in aid to Ukraine to "help us to defend our values, values and independence". Republicans - who will take control of the House of Representatives in January - have warned they will not write a "blank cheque" for Ukraine. But Mr Zelensky, who travelled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that "regardless of changes in the Congress", he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country. After the White House meeting, the 44-year-old Ukrainian president gave an address to a joint session of Congress, where he was welcomed with a standing ovation. He told US lawmakers his country was still standing "against all odds" and predicted "a turning point" in the conflict next year. While vowing Ukraine would never surrender, he said it needed more weaponry. "We have artillery, yes, thank you," he told his audience. "Is it enough? Honestly, not really." "For the Russian army to completely pull out, more cannon and shells are needed," he added. Concluding his speech, Mr Zelensky presented Congress with a battle flag signed by the defenders of Bakhmut, a frontline city in the east of Ukraine that he visited on the eve of his Washington trip. The package of security assistance announced by Washington on Wednesday includes a new Patriot missile system, which is expected to help Ukraine protect its cities from missiles and drones that Russia has fired at critical facilities. A rare moment of levity arose in Wednesday's news conference as Mr Zelensky, a former comedian, answered reporters' questions. The Ukrainian president said: "What's going to happen after the Patriots are installed? After that we will send another signal to President Biden that we would like to get more Patriots." "We are in a war, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," he deadpanned in English, as the audience in the East Room laughed. Mr Biden chuckled and said: "We're working on it." Russia's foreign ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step. Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Putin said he believed his country was not to blame for the war in Ukraine, adding both countries were "sharing a tragedy". Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the US military estimates that at least 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, along with some 40,000 civilian deaths. The UN has recorded 7.8 million people as refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the figure does not include those who have been forced to flee their homes but remain in Ukraine.

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Ukraine war: Kyiv not to blame for Poland missile - Zelensky

NOV 17: Mr Zelensky said he had received assurances from his top commanders that "it wasn't our missile". He also called for Ukrainian officials to be allowed to access the blast site and to be part of the investigation. His comments came as Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Kyiv's air defence missiles were "most likely" to blame. US President Joe Biden also cast doubt on Mr Zelensky's statement that the missile was not of Ukrainian origin, telling reporters "that's not the evidence". The missile blast occurred on a farm in Przewodow, just 6km (4 miles) from Poland's border with Ukraine. Ukrainian air defence systems were activated on Tuesday when Russia launched what is believed to be its biggest wave of missile strikes since its February invasion. The attack, which occurred during the G20 summit in Indonesia, caused an international outcry, while news of a missile blast inside Nato member Poland's territory raised fears of a dangerous escalation in the war. But Polish President Andrzej Duda said it was "highly probable" that the missile was launched by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defence. "From the information that we and our allies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side," he said. Mr Stoltenberg told the BBC that he agreed with Poland's assessment that the incident was probably caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile. "But the main message is that Russia bears the ultimate responsibility, because this would not have happened hadn't Russia waged a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine," he said. He added that Nato had pledged to supply a "more advanced air defence system" to Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance but receives extensive military aid. And Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said Russia bore ultimate responsibility for the incident. "While we still don't know all the facts, we do know one thing - this tragedy would never have happened but for Russia's needless invasion of Ukraine and its recent missile assaults against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. The UN Charter is clear. Ukraine has every right to defend itself against this barrage," she said at a meeting of the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, the top US general has warned that an early military victory for Ukraine remains unlikely, despite a series of successful Ukrainian counter-offensives in the east and south. Last week, Ukraine recaptured Kherson, the only major city to fall to Russia since it started its invasion in February. And in the east, a Ukrainian offensive launched in September has seen Kyiv's forces advance into Donestsk and Luhansk. "The probability of a Ukrainian military victory - defined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine to include what they claim as Crimea - the probability of that happening any time soon is not high, militarily," Gen Mark Milley - the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - told reporters at the Pentagon. But he said recent Russian losses meant a "political solution" was possible. Gen Milley, who serves as President Biden's top military adviser, said the Ukrainian gains had left Russia "on its back" and observed that its losses could see Moscow agree to some sort of a political withdrawal. But the top US general did not elaborate as to what that agreement would look like. Speaking to attendees of the G20 summit in Bali earlier this week, President Zelensky laid out a 10-point peace plan that includes nuclear safety guarantees, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine's territory, and reparations and justice for "Russia's aggression against Ukraine". But Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Kyiv's demands were "unrealistic and inadequate". He added that Ukraine "categorically refuses" negotiations with Russia. Elsewhere, the eastern Donetsk region has seen heavy fighting in recent days, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych. He said Russian troops from Kherson region had now been "redirected" towards Donetsk and Luhansk.

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Ukraine war: Nato says Poland probably hit by Ukrainian missile

NOV 17: "Most likely this is a Ukrainian air defence missile," he said as investigations continued into the blast near the Ukrainian border. But he stressed that Russia was ultimately to blame because of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine itself continues to say that Russia actually fired the missile. "I have no doubt that this is not our missile," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in televised remarks. "I believe that this was a Russian missile, based on our military reports." He said it was imperative for Ukraine to be allowed to join the investigation into the blast on the farm in Przewodow, 6km (4 miles) from the border. Ukrainian air defence systems were activated on Tuesday when Russia launched what is believed to be its biggest wave of missile strikes in the nine months since the invasion on 24 February. Dozens of Russian missiles targeted the country but Ukraine says it managed to shoot most of them down. The mass attack, which occurred during the G20 summit in Indonesia, caused an international outcry, while news of a missile blast inside Nato member Poland's territory raised fears that the war might be escalating dangerously. Mr Stoltenberg said Nato had pledged in response to supply a "more advanced air defence system" to Ukraine which is not a member of the alliance but receives extensive military aid. "Today I attended a meeting of a support group for Ukraine where Nato allies and partners made new pledges for more advanced air defence systems so we can help to shoot down Russian missiles," the Nato chief said. "But the best way to prevent any instances like this in the future is for Russia to stop war." "We have no indication that this is a deliberate attack from Russia," he said, speaking from Nato's headquarters in Brussels.. He added, however, that there was "no doubt that Russia is responsible because this would not have happened if Russia had not launched a barrage of missile attacks against Ukrainian cities yesterday, as they have done many times before during this war". Polish President Andrzej Duda said earlier that although a Russian-made S-300 missile was most likely to blame, there was no evidence it had been fired by the Russian side. When asked about the possibility of peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, Mr Stoltenberg said previous attempts had shown that Russia's President Vladimir Putin had "no willingness to compromise and negotiate". "We have to understand if Putin and Russia stop fighting we will have peace but if Zelensky and Ukraine stop fighting, then Ukraine will cease to exist as an independent sovereign nation," he said. The top US general also commented on the war on Wednesday, saying there might be a "political solution where, politically, the Russians withdraw" from Ukraine. But Army Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that an early military victory for Ukraine was unlikely despite its recent successes on the battlefield. "The probability of a Ukrainian military victory - defined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine to include what they claim as Crimea - the probability of that happening any time soon is not high, militarily," he told reporters at the Pentagon.

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Ukraine war: Russia denies responsibility for Poland blast

NOV 16: Polish officials said the "Russian-made missile" landed in Przewodow, on the Ukrainian border. Early reports had suggested Russia was to blame for the blast. Moscow denied the allegations. Speaking from the G20 Summit in Bali, Mr Biden said "preliminary information" contested the reports. The US President was speaking early on Wednesday morning, after several world leaders gathered on the side lines of the summit at an "emergency roundtable" to discuss the blast. Among the attendees were President Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Reports of the missiles falling in Poland - which is a Nato member - came after Russia launched a fresh wave of attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday, days after its troops were forced to leave Kherson. Russia dismissed claims it was responsible, with the defence ministry in Moscow attacking what it called "a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation". Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said he had no information on the blast. Russian state news agency Ria Novosti said it was instead Ukrainian missiles that had hit Polish territory. But Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said any claim that Ukraine was responsible was a Russian "conspiracy theory", and that anyone amplifying the message was spreading "Russian propaganda". Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters that it remained unclear how the blast had occurred, and said investigators were evaluating all possibilities. "We do not have any conclusive evidence at the moment as to who launched this missile … it was most likely a Russian-made missile, but this is all still under investigation at the moment," he said. Images shared online showed what appeared to be a large crater on what local media reported was Polish farmland, suggesting missile damage. Another image appeared to show a fragment of a missile. The encroachment onto Polish territory raised questions as to whether Warsaw would trigger Article Four of the Nato treaty - meaning member states consult on whether the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any member state is threatened. Warsaw said it was considering whether to invoke the provision. Despite lending support to Ukraine since Russia's invasion, Nato has been careful not to become too heavily involved in the conflict in order to prevent an escalation. G7 also released a statement condemning the "barbaric missile attacks" launched by Russia on Tuesday, and addressing the "explosion" in Ukraine. "We offer our full support for and assistance with Poland's ongoing investigation. We agree to remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds," it said. Meanwhile United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres also said he was "very concerned" by the Poland explosion, and called for a thorough investigation. "It is absolutely essential to avoid escalating the war in Ukraine," his spokesman Farhan Haq said. The BBC's Paul Adams said there were a number of possible explanations for the incident. Russia has no interest in targeting Polish farms, so some kind of malfunction seems possible, he said. And, on a day when Ukraine's air defences were working hard to bring down Russian missiles, it is also possible that one of those missiles was knocked off course, our correspondent adds. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he had spoken to Polish President Andrzej Duda and the military alliance was "monitoring the situation". "Allies are closely consulting," he said on Twitter. "Important that all facts are established." The attacks came after one of the heaviest bombardments of Ukraine by Russian forces since the war began. Ukraine was hit by over 90 missiles on Tuesday, according to Ukraine's Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnatw, who said more than 70 were successfully shot down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said most of the rockets fired had been aimed at the country's energy infrastructure.

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Ukraine war: UN General Assembly condemns Russia annexation

Oct 13: The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's attempts to annex four regions of Ukraine. The resolution was supported by 143 countries, while 35 states - including China and India - abstained. As well as Russia, four countries rejected the vote, namely Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Nicaragua. Although symbolic, it was the highest number of votes against Russia since the invasion. Last week, in a grand ceremony in the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin signed documents to make the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson part of Russia. The agreements were signed with the Moscow-installed leaders of the four regions, and came after self-proclaimed referendums in the areas that were denounced as a "sham" by the West. The resolution calls on the international community not to recognise any of Russia's annexation claim and demands its "immediate reversal". It welcomes and "expresses its strong support" for efforts to de-escalate the conflict through negotiation. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was grateful to the countries that supported it. "The world had its say - [Russia's] attempts at annexation is worthless and will never be recognised by free nations," he tweeted, adding that Ukraine would "return all its lands". US President Joe Biden said the vote sent a "clear message" to Moscow. "The stakes of this conflict are clear to all, and the world has sent a clear message in response - Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map," he said. Dame Barbara Woodward, Britain's ambassador to the UN, said Russia had failed on the battlefield and at the UN, adding that countries had united to defend the world body's charter. "Russia has isolated itself, but Russia alone can stop the suffering. The time to end the war is now," she said. The General Assembly vote was triggered after Russia used its veto power to prevent action at the Security Council - the body in charge of maintaining international peace and security. As permanent members, China, the United States, France and the United Kingdom also hold vetoes on the council. There have been calls for Russia to be stripped of its veto power after the Ukraine invasion.

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Ukraine war: Russia claims win in occupied Ukraine 'sham' referendums

SEPT 28: Moscow-installed officials in the regions are now claiming almost total support among those who took part in the disputed votes on joining Russia. The polls were denounced as a sham by Ukraine's government and its allies. In the absence of international recognition, the process was not monitored independently. The votes were held in the breakaway eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Ballots in Russian-occupied parts of the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were also organised. Refugees scattered across Russia were also able to vote at dozens of polling stations, including in Crimea, a southern Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Partial results from voting there indicated huge majorities in favour of joining Russia. Up to four million people were asked to vote in the war-torn regions, which make up about 15% of Ukraine's territory. News agencies run by the pro-Kremlin administrations in Donetsk and Luhansk are reporting that up to 99.23% of people voted in favour of joining Russia - a high percentage that would be unusual in a vote of this nature. There is speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin may announce the four regions' annexation in a speech to a joint session of Russia's parliament on Friday. In March 2014, he announced that Crimea had joined Russia just a few days after a similarly unrecognised referendum was held there. If Russia annexes the four regions, which Moscow does not fully control, it could take the war to a new and more dangerous level, with Moscow portraying any attempt by Ukraine to regain them as an attack on its sovereign territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of "brutally violating the UN statute" by trying to annex territories seized by force. "This farce in the occupied territory cannot even be called an imitation of referendums," he said on Tuesday night. The president added that it was "a very cynical attempt to force men in the occupied territory of Ukraine to mobilise into the Russian army in order to send them to fight against their own homeland!" More sanctions against Russia Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the EU to impose tougher sanctions on Russia. "We need an extremely serious, effective response with specific things that will hit the Russian economy. The softer the reaction to the so-called referendums, the greater the motivation for Russia to escalate and annex further territories," he said. The UK responded to the so-called referendums with new sanctions targeting top Russian officials involved in enforcing the votes. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that the West would never recognise Russian annexations, warning the Kremlin of "additional swift and severe costs". French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who on Tuesday visited Ukraine, described the polls as a "masquerade". In China, a traditional Russian ally, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected", when answering a reporter's question about the so-called referendums. President Putin defended the referendums, saying they were designed to stop the persecution of ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers by Ukraine - a charge the Ukrainian government denies. "Saving people in all the territories where this referendum is being held is at the top of our minds and the focus of attention of our entire society and country," the Russian leader said in televised remarks.

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Ukraine war: Who is winning?

SEPT 22: However, Russian forces still hold about a fifth of the country. How has the conflict changed? Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, surrounding the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. It also launched attacks in the south, east and north of the country. In early April, Ukrainian forces retook large areas around Kyiv, after Russia abandoned its push towards the capital. Russia has since been focusing its military operations in the south, east and north-east of Ukraine, seizing large areas. However, things changed dramatically at the start of September. In a decisive offensive in the north-east, Ukraine drove back Russian forces. It claims to have regained 3,000 square kilometres (1,158 sq miles) of territory around the city of Kharkiv alone. Its forces have also retaken territory in Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine. Since July, the region had been entirely occupied by Russia. In total, Ukraine says it has retaken more than 8,000 sq km (3,088 sq miles) from Russian control in September - its most significant territorial gains since the war started. The cities of Izyum and Kupiansk, which Ukraine says were retaken on 10 September, were both key supply hubs for the Russian forces. As such, these represent important strategic gains. There is also a Ukrainian counter-attack around the Kherson region in the south of the country. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says Ukrainian troops have inflicted a "major operational defeat" on Russian forces. Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute said Russian positions in Kharkiv had suffered a "total collapse". The Russian withdrawal was, he said, "certainly the most dramatic reverse that we've seen from the Russians since they retreated from Kyiv in April". How has Russia responded? Russia confirmed that its forces retreated from Izyum and Kupiansk. It said this was a strategic withdrawal to "regroup". It has also said it will continue to target these areas with military strikes. The Russian army appears to have abandoned large quantities of equipment and ammunition during the withdrawal. How much territory does Russia still occupy? Russia still holds about 20% of Ukraine, according to the ISW. The areas are largely in the eastern Donbas region and in the south of mainland Ukraine, as well as the Crimea peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014. The Donbas is a mainly Russian-speaking area, and after Russia seized Crimea in 2014, pro-Russian forces captured more than a third of the region. It created two so-called people's republics there. Areas in the west of the country, including Lviv, have experienced missile attacks, but no attempt by Russian forces to take and occupy ground. What does Russia want? Russia refuses to recognise its invasion as a war, and says it is undertaking a "special military operation" in Ukraine. The Kremlin said its operations would continue "until all the tasks originally set" had been achieved. When launching the invasion in February, President Vladimir Putin said his goal was to "demilitarise Ukraine". One objective was to ensure Ukraine didn't join the Western defensive alliance, Nato. Russia's initial aim was to overrun Ukraine and depose its government. However, it now appears to have limited its ambitions to securing land in Ukraine's east and south. What does Ukraine want? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his main goal is to drive all Russian troops out, to "de-occupy our whole territory". Mr Zelensky has appealed for more funding and equipment to retain the areas retaken from Russia. Western shipments of weaponry are being used heavily by Ukrainian forces. How many have people have died? Both sides have suffered losses, although neither publish exact numbers. Ukraine claims it has killed more than 50,000 Russian troops, and at the end of August said it had lost nearly 9,000 military personnel since the start of the conflict. Russia rarely discloses its own troop fatalities. Its most recent death count was in March, when it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had died since the invasion began. In July, US officials estimated that about 15,000 Russian soldiers had died. Civilians have also died. At the start of September the United Nations corroborated more than 5,700 deaths. However, it said the actual number is likely to be considerably higher.

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Ukraine war: Occupied areas call urgent vote to join Russia

SEPT 21: Russia's invasion has stalled in recent months and Ukraine has recaptured swathes of territory in the north-east. Now Russian-backed officials in the east and south say they want votes on joining Russia starting this week. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, after a vote drew international condemnation. Russian President Vladimir Putin had been expected to give an address to the nation on Tuesday evening but sources close to the Kremlin indicated later that it had been postponed, with no reason given. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday that "sham 'referendums' will not change anything". The international community has never recognised the Crimea annexation, but it has long been clear that Russia intends to rubber-stamp its takeover of other occupied regions in the same way. Annexing more Ukrainian territory would enable the Kremlin to claim Russia itself was coming under attack from Nato weapons. Russia launched its invasion on 24 February. There is speculation that Russia may announce a mass mobilisation, to beef up its forces in Ukraine. The Russian parliament has approved tougher punishments for crimes such as desertion, damage to military property and insubordination during mobilisation or combat operations. The deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said early on Tuesday that holding votes in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk - also known as Donbas - would correct "historical justice" and be irreversible: "After the amendments to the constitution of our state, no future leader of Russia, no official, will be able to reverse these decisions." Soon afterwards the two breakaway Russian-backed authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk said they would stage votes on 23-27 September. They were both recognised as independent by President Putin three days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine from the north, east and south. Russian-installed officials in the southern region of Kherson said they would also hold a vote, and a similar declaration came from Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia. Russian state media said people would be able to vote in person or remotely. For months, Russian-installed authorities have tried to hold self-styled referendums. There was never any hope of a free or fair vote, and the continuing war has made it impractical even to try to annex areas not fully under their control. Ukraine's counter-offensives have made that harder still. While most of Luhansk has been in Russian hands since July, on Monday the Ukrainian leader in Luhansk announced that the army had recaptured the village of Bilohorivka. Much of Donetsk remains under Ukrainian control, although Russia has seized the coastal strip along the Sea of Azov. Although Russian forces quickly captured Kherson at the start of the war, Ukrainian forces have regained some territory and Russian-installed authorities have faced repeated attacks. Earlier attempts to hold a vote there were postponed. Much of Zaporizhzhia is still under Ukrainian control, including the regional capital of the same name. Even though the 2014 vote in Crimea was widely rejected as illegal, and boycotted by a large number of residents, Russia's military were in control of the peninsula. Ukrainian forces are not far away from the city of Donetsk and on Monday the Russian-backed mayor accused them of shelling the city, killing at least 13 people. Any attempt to further annex sovereign Ukrainian territory is bound to infuriate leaders in Kyiv and destroy any hope of a negotiated solution. Ukrainian defence ministry adviser Oleksiy Kopytko suggested the vote plan was a "sign of hysteria" in Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday night "the occupiers are clearly in a panic". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the votes were a "sham", while France's Emmanuel Macron condemned the idea as "cynical" and a "parody" that would obviously not be recognised by the international community. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said they had no legitimacy and were "a further escalation in Putin's war". Respected Russia analyst Tatiana Stanovaya saw the latest move as an "unequivocal ultimatum" from Russia to Ukraine and the West. She said that if they did not react appropriately Russia would fully mobilise its armed forces for war. Annexation would give President Putin the right, as he saw it, to use any weapons to protected territory deemed by Moscow to be Russian. There have been growing calls from some quarters in Russia for full mobilisation of the armed forces. President Putin still describes the invasion as a "special military operation". In a sign that the Kremlin was preparing to back the referendums, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that from the start of the operation Russia had wanted residents to have the decision: "The whole current situation confirms that they want to be masters of their fate."

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