Live: EU slams Russia’s ‘illegal’ referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine

9:15am: Kyiv urges ‘significant’ military aid boost after annexation votes

Kyiv on Wednesday called on the West to “significantly” increase its military aid to Ukraine after pro-Kremlin authorities in four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine declared victory in annexation votes.  

“Ukraine calls on the EU, NATO and the Group of Seven to immediately and significantly increase pressure on Russia, including by imposing tough sanctions and significantly increase their military aid to Ukraine,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement. 

9:00am: ‘This isn’t just a commercial problem, an attack on energy infrastructure in Europe as a result of the Ukrainian war, is becoming a military situation’

FRANCE 24’s Nick Spicer reports from Berlin on European reactions after the Nord Stream pipeline leaks and possible repercussions on Russia.

02:40

8:56am: Ukraine says it will ‘never agree to Russian ultimatums’

 Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russian-staged votes in four Ukrainian regions on becoming part of Russia were “null and worthless”, and that Kyiv would press on with efforts to liberate Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.

Urging its international partners to impose tough new sanctions on Moscow and provide Kyiv with more military aid, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “Ukraine will never agree to any ultimatums.”

8:51am: Russia’s Gazprom says it will pump 41.6mcm of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday

Russia’s Gazprom said it will pipe 41.6 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, slightly down on the 42.4 mcm it has pumped in recent days.

8:39am: EU chief vows ‘robust and united response’ if Nord Stream pipeline damage is sabotage

The European Union suspects that damage to two underwater natural gas pipelines was sabotage and is warning of retaliation for any attack on Europe’s energy networks, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday.

“All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the 27 EU member countries. “Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.”

Seismologists reported Tuesday that explosions rattled the Baltic Sea before unusual leaks were discovered on two underwater natural gas pipelines running from Russia to Germany.

8:00am: ‘The Ukrainian government has condemned them as absolutely illegal, farcical and a sham’

FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv on Ukraine’s reaction to the Russian-held referendums in the occupied regions of Ukraine, saying that the Ukrainian government has condemned them as farcical, illegal and a sham. The government has also welcomed condemnations issued by Western allies of Russia’s actions.

04:08

7:16am: Russian defence ministry says newly mobilised reservists begin training in Kaliningrad

Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that newly mobilised reservists in the Kaliningrad region have started combat training at the base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet.

“All mobilised military personnel comply with the standards for shooting from small arms. In addition, citizens called up from the reserve restore their skills in the operation and maintenance of weapons, military and special equipment,” the ministry said on its Telegram channel.

Courses have been also held to increase firing skills and prepare military personnel for “confident actions on the battlefield”. President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military mobilisation since World War Two last week, which could see hundreds of thousands more people sent to fight in Ukraine.

Russia has a significant military presence in Kaliningrad, a Russian Baltic coast enclave located between NATO and European Union members Poland and Lithuania, including nuclear-capable missiles, its Baltic fleet and tens of thousands of soldiers.

7:56am: Nord Stream sabotage not an attack on Sweden, foreign minister says

The suspected sabotage against the Nord Stream gas pipelines does not constitute an attack on Sweden, Foreign Minister Ann Linde told SVT public television on Wednesday.

7:37am: Italy’s Meloni tells Ukraine it can count on her

Nationalist leader Giorgia Meloni, set to become Italy’s next prime minister, has pledged her full support for Kyiv after receiving congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for her election victory.

In a Tweet late on Tuesday, a day after Meloni and her right-wing allies won a commanding parliamentary majority, Zelensky said he was looking forward to “fruitful cooperation with the new government”.

Meloni replied swiftly. “Dear (Zelensky), you know that you can count on our loyal support for the cause of freedom of Ukrainian people. Stay strong and keep your faith steadfast!” she wrote in English on Twitter. Meloni has been one of the few Italian political leaders to wholeheartedly endorse outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s decision to ship weapons to Ukraine, even though she was in opposition to his government.

6:19am: Canada to impose new sanctions on Russia over ‘sham’ referendums in Ukraine

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he intends to impose new sanctions over Russia’s “sham” referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine. “Canada does not and will not ever recognise the results of these sham referendums or Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories,” Trudeau said in a statement.

2:59am: EU says ‘sabotage’ behind Baltic pipeline leaks 

Sabotage is the most likely cause of leaks in two Baltic Sea gas pipelines between Russia and Europe, European leaders said Tuesday, after seismologists reported explosions around the Nord Stream pipelines.

European leaders and experts cited the possibility of deliberate interference with the pipelines amid an energy stand-off with Russia provoked by the war in Ukraine. Neither Nord Stream pipeline is currently supplying energy to Europe.

EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen said “sabotage” caused the leaks. She threatened the “strongest possible response” to any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure.

Denmark said earlier it believed “deliberate actions” by unknown perpetrators were behind big leaks in the two natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

FRANCE 24’s Nick Spicer reports from Germany on the suspected sabotage.

01:12

11:24pm: Ukraine will ‘defend its people’ in regions of annexation vote, Zelensky says

Ukraine will “defend” citizens in regions which Russian authorities said voted overwhelmingly for a merger with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.

“We will act to protect our people: both in the Kherson region, in the Zaporizhia region, in the Donbas, in the currently occupied areas of the Kharkiv region and in the Crimea,” he said in a video posted on Telegram. “This farce in the occupied territory cannot even be called an imitation of referendums.”

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.

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 organisations 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. The United States was also preparing a new round of sanctions against Russia should it annex Ukrainian territory and a $1.1 billion arms package for Ukraine that will be announced soon, US officials said.

China’s Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun told the meeting that isolation and sanctions would only “lead to a dead end”.

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.”

03:47

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.”

06:26

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.

8:45pm: 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.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)