Russia-Ukraine latest updates: Lavrov defends Moscow’s war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Russians to “protest” against the mobilisation announced by Putin, which sparked small protests and an exodus from the country.

Zelenskyy said, “55,000 Russian soldiers died in these six months of war … Do you want more? No? Then protest. Fight back, run away, or surrender” to the Ukrainian army.

More than 1,300 protesters were arrested across Russia on Wednesday.

There were also reports of a mass exodus following the announcement. Flights out of Russia to the neighbouring countries that allow Russians visa-free entry were nearly entirely booked, while prices skyrocketed.

The Kremlin dismissed as “fake” reports that Russians eligible for mobilisation were rushing for the exit.

Seventeen members of US Congress have told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speed up a Pentagon security review of a Ukrainian request for large drones that can be armed, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The Biden administration’s plan to sell four such drones to Ukraine hit a snag in June because of a fear the unmanned aerial system’s sophisticated surveillance equipment might fall into enemy hands, sources had previously told Reuters.

“Thorough risk assessments mitigation should not come at the expense of Ukrainian lives,” said the letter, signed by a bipartisan congressional group.

Many of the Ukrainians exchanged in the largest prisoner swap with Russia since the beginning of the invasion show signs of violent torture, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence has said.

Ukraine had announced the exchange of 215 imprisoned soldiers with Russia, including fighters who led the defence of Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks that became an icon of Ukrainian resistance.

“Many of them have been brutally tortured,” Kyrylo Budanov said during a news conference, without providing further details.

Some of the detainees “are in a more or less normal physical condition, except for chronic malnutrition due to bad conditions of detention”, Budanov said.

The prisoners were detained in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian troops, as well as in Russia itself, according to the high-ranking official.

During the same news conference, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky said “absolutely all” of the Ukrainian prisoners swapped “need psychological rehabilitation”.

Concerned about fighting around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Poland has distributed iodine tablets to regional fire departments to give to people in the event of radioactive exposure, a deputy minister said on Thursday.

Iodine is considered a way of protecting the body against conditions such as thyroid cancer in case of radioactive exposure.

“I would like to reassure all citizens that these are routine, preemptive actions that are to protect us in the event of a situation which … I hope will not happen,” Blazej Pobozy said.

Shelling at the site of Zaporizhzhia – Europe’s biggest nuclear plant – has damaged buildings close to its six reactors and cut power cables, risking a nuclear catastrophe that would affect neighbouring countries. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling around the plant.

NATO has condemned plans to hold “referendums” in Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine, describing them as Moscow’s “blatant attempts at territorial conquest”.

Earlier this week, four Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions announced their plan to hold votes on joining the Russian Federation.

Ukraine and the West have indicated they will not recognise the annexations – and that Russia’s new territorial claims will not hinder Ukraine from reclaiming its sovereign territory.

NATO said in a statement: “Sham referenda in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine have no legitimacy and will be a blatant violation of the UN Charter.”

“NATO allies will not recognise their illegal and illegitimate annexation. These lands are Ukraine.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for “neutrality”, urging Russia and Ukraine to commit to “dialogue without preconditions”.

Speaking at the UNSC, Wang said China supported inquiries into violations of international humanitarian law, but insisted they should be “objective and fair based on facts rather than an assumption of guilt” and “must not be politicised”.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK must be prepared to give “more military assistance” and “more economic support” to Ukraine.

Addressing the House of Commons, Johnson said it was “more vital than ever” that the UK has “the strategic patience to hold our nerve” and ensure that Ukrainians succeed in recapturing their territory.

“If Putin is going to double down on his aggression, then we must double down in our defence of the Ukrainians, and we must be prepared to give more military assistance and more economic support,” he said.

Prices for air tickets out of Moscow have soared above $5,000 for one-way tickets to the nearest foreign locations, with most tickets sold out, Reuters has reported.

A tourism industry source told the news wire that there was desperation as people sought to find air tickets out of Russia, following Putin’s mobilisation announcement.

Social media groups popped up with advice on how to get out of Russia while one news site in Russian gave a list of “where to run away right now from Russia”.

The Russian national airline, Aeroflot, meanwhile said it would refund people who were unable to fly as planned because they had received a call-up.

The Czech Republic says it will not issue humanitarian visas to Russians fleeing their homeland to avoid mobilisation, taking a different stance than some of its European Union peers.

Russians have been rushing to find a way out of the country since Putin decided to mobilise 300,000 people for its war in Ukraine.

“I understand that Russians are fleeing from the increasingly desperate decisions taken by Putin,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement obtained by AFP.

“But those who are running away from their country because they do not want to fulfil a duty imposed by their own state do not meet the criteria for receiving humanitarian visas,” he added.

Unlike the Czechs, Germany said it was willing to take some Russians fleeing the call-up.

“Deserters threatened with serious repression can as a rule obtain international protection in Germany,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

Finland is considering ways to sharply reduce Russian tourism and transit through the country, Prime Minister Sanna Marin has said.

Her remarks came after the Finnish border guard said traffic arriving at the country’s eastern border “intensified” overnight after Russian President Putin ordered a partial military mobilisation.

Some 4,824 Russians arrived in Finland via the country’s eastern border on Wednesday, an increase of 1,691 compared with the same day last week, it said.

Traffic at the border remained elevated on Thursday, but was under control, it added.

Incoming traffic at the eastern border increased during the night. Traffic has increased compared to previous weeks, but the amount is still small compared to the time before the pandemic. Our resources are sufficient and the situation is under the control. #Finnishborder pic.twitter.com/B7GfUQyZti

— Rajavartiolaitos (@rajavartijat) September 22, 2022

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has walked out of a UN Security Council meeting after accusing Ukraine and its Western allies of “impunity” in Donbas.

Ukraine and its allies were attempting to “impose on us a completely different narrative about Russian aggression”, Lavrov argued.

He rejected Western accusations of abuses in Ukraine, calling instead for punishing Kyiv’s government.

“The United States and their allies with the connivance of international human rights organizations have been covering the crimes of the Kyiv regime,” Lavrov said after the UNSC heard accounts of abuses by Russian forces.

Russian foreign minister Lavrov came into the UNSC chamber, delivered his remarks, and then left. Judging by the look of contempt on the face of UK foreign sec @JamesCleverly, who had just started speaking next, Lavrov got up and left just as Cleverly started speaking.

— Camilla Schick (@CamJourno) September 22, 2022

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Putin of having “shredded” international order “before our eyes”.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting, Blinken said Putin added “fuel to the fire” by announcing further mobilisation of Russian troops and planning “referendums” in occupied Ukrainian territory.

Blinken added that the Russian leader must be held to account for his actions.

“We cannot – we will not – let President Putin get away with it,” he said.

Blinken said it was critical to show that “no nation can redraw the borders of another by force”, adding: “If we fail to defend this principle when the Kremlin is so flagrantly violating it, we send the message to aggressors everywhere that they can ignore it too.”

Approximately 10,000 volunteers have turned up to enlist for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine without waiting for call-up papers, Russian news agencies report citing the Russian General Staff.

On Wednesday, Putin announced Russia’s first public mobilisation since World War II.

His defence minister said it aimed to recruit 300,000 specialists for Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, which has recently suffered severe setbacks.

President Erdogan says Turkey is deciding whether to stop processing transactions made using Russia’s MIR payments system after repeated warnings from the United States.

Two of the five Turkish banks processing MIR payments have listened to Washington’s warnings and suspended the transactions, seeking further guidance about how sanctions could potentially be applied.

But Erdogan told reporters in New York, “I will convene [a meeting] in Istanbul on Friday and make a final decision.”

However, he added that sanctions “do not really suit friendship”.

Washington has increased pressure on Turkish banks and businesses to comply with sanctions against Russia, warning that Turkish entities risk being exposed to secondary sanctions themselves.

The United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine will develop trilateral cooperation by strengthening their defence capabilities and the NATO eastern flank, according to a joint statement from their foreign ministers.

The foreign ministers of the three countries met in New York on Wednesday and also agreed to continue the support of Ukraine by Poland and the UK against Russia, the joint statement issued by the British government said.

A statement by the British government said, “Following the Russian President’s latest address, the three agreed on the importance of standing united in condemning the Russian government’s reprehensible actions and supporting Ukraine to defend its territorial sovereignty.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a Security Council meeting on Ukraine that talk of a nuclear conflict is “totally unacceptable”.

He added that the annexation of a state’s territory by another state through the threat or use of force violates the UN Charter and international law.

For Ukrainian soldiers, the addition of more Russian troops is not seen as much of a threat. However, analysts are more cautious about how Putin’s announcement could change the playing field.

Read more on how the mobilisation of Russian forces could change the war in Ukraine.

The Berlin Sonntagsblatt reports that Germany is prepared to accept Russian deserters under certain circumstances.

According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, “As a rule, deserters threatened by severe repression receive international protection in Germany.”

“Anyone who courageously opposes Putin’s regime and therefore puts themselves in the greatest danger can apply for asylum in Germany because of political persecution,” Feaser said.

President Erdogan says the prisoner swap, mediated by Turkey, involving almost 300 people, is an important step towards ending the war.

Turkish broadcaster NTV reported on Thursday that among those swapped, five senior Ukrainian commanders have arrived in Turkey, where they will remain until the war’s end.

“We will continue our efforts to achieve peace and stability in the future. For example, as soon as we return, we will call the leaders again and continue our telephone diplomacy with them,” Erdogan added.

Al Jazeera’s Inside Story speaks to Sergei Markov, director, Institute of Political Studies and former spokesman for President Putin, Donnacha O Beachain, professor, Dublin City University, and Michael Bocirkiew, senior fellow, Atlantic Council, about Putin’s call for partial mobilisation.