Live: Russia to ‘consult’ locals on annexed Ukraine regions’ borders, Kremlin says

Issued on: 03/10/2022 – 12:12

12:10pm: Kremin dismisses ’emotional’ nuclear weapons call by Putin ally

The Kremlin dismissed Monday a call by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to use low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, after Moscow’s troops were forced out of Lyman in the east by Ukrainian forces.

“This is a very emotional moment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a daily briefing with journalists, referring to statements by the ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “In our country, the use of nuclear weapons happens only on the basis of what is stated in the relevant doctrine”, Peskov said.

11:58am: UK, allies meet to discuss pipeline security after blasts

The Joint Expeditionary Force group of northern European nations will meet Monday to discuss the safety of undersea pipelines and cables after blasts ruptured two natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.

Wallace said the virtual meeting has been called by the U.K. and the Netherlands. The force brings together troops from 10 countries, including the Baltic and Nordic nations, and has seen its importance increase since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Wallace also said Britain will acquire two specialist ships to protect undersea cables and pipes, with the first “multi-role survey ship for seabed warfare” operational by the end of next year.

Undersea blasts that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last week have led to huge methane leaks. Nordic investigators said the blasts involved several hundred pounds of explosives.

11:56am: Russian-installed official confirms Ukrainian breakthroughs in Kherson region

Ukrainian troops recaptured villages along the west bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine on Monday in a major new breakthrough, opening a second big front that is forcing Moscow to abandon ground just days after claiming to annex it.

The advance in Kherson province was Ukraine’s biggest in the south of the country since the war began, and follows similar breakthroughs in the east that have turned the tide of the war in recent weeks.

The Russian-installed head of the administration in occupied parts of Ukraine’s Kherson province confirmed that Ukrainian troops had captured a number of settlements along the river, pushing as far as the vicinity of the village of Dudchany. This would represent a startling advance of around 40 km (25 miles) in a single day.

“The information is tense, let’s put it that way, because, yes there were indeed breakthroughs,” Vladimir Saldo told Russian state television.

“There’s a settlement called Dudchany, right along the Dnipro River, and right there, in that region, there was a (Ukrainian) breakthrough. There are settlements that are occupied by Ukrainian forces,” he said.

11:49am: Russia has funds to support four regions being annexed, finance ministry says

Russia has funds to support four Ukrainian regions which President Vladimir Putin began annexing last week and these funds are part of the country’s budget, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told parliament.

“Priority for the next three years will be the full integration of the new regions,” Siluanov said, without saying how much would be spent.

“The federal budget has necessary resources for this, both for the current provision of social standards… as well as funds for the economic restoration of the new regions of the Russian Federation.”

11:47am: Russia to ‘consult’ locals on annexed Ukraine regions’ borders, Kremlin says

The Kremlin said Monday that Russia would discuss with the local populations of two Ukraine regions that Moscow annexed last week to determine the exact borders of the regions to be integrated into Russia.

“We are going to continue to consult the populations of these regions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said referring to the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that are partially controlled by the Ukrainian military.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)