- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounces Russian-backed referendums in Ukraine as an attempted land grab that is illegal under international law.
- If Russia moves ahead with its plans to annex four Ukrainian regions, it would mark a “dangerous escalation” that would jeopardise the prospects for peace in the region, the United Nations secretary-general warns.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounces Russian-backed referendums in Ukraine as an attempted land grab that is illegal under international law.
- If Russia moves ahead with its plans to annex four Ukrainian regions, it would mark a “dangerous escalation” that would jeopardise the prospects for peace in the region, the United Nations secretary-general warns.
- The Kremlin says the four occupied regions of Ukraine that held widely-condemned referendums on joining Russia will be incorporated into Russia on Friday.
- On Moscow’s Red Square, billboards proclaim “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!” in preparation for the annexation move.
This live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Thursday, September 29: