Long speech and festivities in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has planned to ratify, Friday, September 30, in the middle of the day, the annexation by Russia of four Ukrainian regions. The Kremlin is to host a ceremony for these annexations during which Vladimir Putin is to pronounce “a voluminous speech”, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The Russian capital has prepared for festivities, including a concert in the shadow of the Kremlin walls at which Vladimir Putin could make an appearance. The latter recognized the independence of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson, according to presidential decrees published Thursday evening. Follow our live.
A vote organized to condemn “simulacra”. The UN Security Council voted on Friday on a resolution condemning the annexation referendums of several Ukrainian regions. The meeting will take place on Friday at 9 p.m. Paris time, before another scheduled discussion on the leaks discovered on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, said the French Presidency of the Council. But the text has no chance of being adopted because of the Russian right of veto.
The votes of China and India closely watched. If the Russian veto is not in doubt, it is above all the position of China, sometimes accused by Westerners of being too conciliatory with Russia, which will be examined with attention. Beijing, officially neutral, this week repeated its call for respect for territorial integrity “From all countries”. India’s position will also be closely monitored. The two countries had abstained in February the day after the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive continues. Meanwhile, on the front, at Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine, kyiv’s troops are pushing their adversary ever further, threatening their supply lines. The Kharkiv region, an early target of the invasion, resisted the ambitions of the Kremlin and forced its troops to withdraw thanks to a counter-offensive in early September. These efforts are continuing with the recapture of the entire city of Kupiansk, on the Oskil River, AFP journalists noted on Thursday.