World News | Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War

Kyiv, Sep 28 (AP) The Moscow-appointed heads of the Luhansk and Kherson regions have published on the Telegram messaging application their requests for the territories to join Russia.

The Luhansk administrator Leonid Pasechnik cited alleged Ukrainian crimes and threat of genocide as the reason for his request, addressed to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

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The Kherson region head Vladimir Saldo later did the same. The remaining two Russia-occupied regions are expected to follow suit.

The requests are seen as a prelude to Putin declaring their annexation in the coming days.

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Russia organised voting in four regions it holds on whether they wish to separate from Ukraine and join Russia.

The votes have been dismissed by the West and Ukraine as a sham but the pro-Russia authorities in the four regions have said people overwhelmingly supported separation from Ukraine.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

— Russia prepares to annex occupied Ukraine despite outcry

— EU vows retaliation if energy network attacked

— Blasts precede Baltic pipeline leaks, sabotage seen likely

— Ukraine's president: No talks with Putin if its land annexed

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Moscow: The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed speculation that Russia could be behind the damage on two underwater natural gas pipelines to Europe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said such allegations were “predictable and stupid,” noting that Russia has suffered huge economic damage from the incidents.

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.

Some European leaders and experts pointed to possible sabotage given the energy standoff with Russia provoked by the war in Ukraine.

The three leaks were reported on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which are filled with natural gas but are not delivering the fuel to Europe.

Peskov said the pipelines were “filled with gas, all systems were ready for pumping it and the gas is very expensive.”

“This gas costs a lot of money, and now this gas is vanishing into the air,” he said in a conference call with reporters.

Peskov noted that Russia expects the inquiry to find out what happened and said that Russian company Gazprom, as the owner of the pipeline, will take part in the process.

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Moscow: The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has intimated that Russia won't halt its “special military operation” after the expected annexation of four regions it holds in Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov says at the very least Russia will need to “liberate” the entire Donetsk region, which remains partly controlled by Ukrainian troops.

Russia organized separation referendums in the four regions it controls and Putin is expected to declare their annexation in the coming days.

Commenting on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement that Ukraine has the “absolute right” to take back territories seized by Russia regardless of the referendums, Peskov said the comments reflect the increasing U.S. involvement in Ukraine.

“The U.S. is becoming increasingly involved in the conflict de facto, the U.S. is getting increasingly close to becoming a party to the conflict, which potentially is extremely dangerous,” Peskov said.

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Berlin: Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants Germany to take in Russians who do not want to fight in the war against Ukraine.

“I am in favour of offering these people protection,” the chancellor told daily newspaper Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung on Wednesday.

“Of course, they have to go through a security check beforehand, so we know who we are letting into our country,” he added.

The German government announced earlier this week that it wants to reach a common solution at the European level on how to deal with Russian deserters.

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Rome: The leader of a far-right party likely to be Italy's next premier has reassured the Ukrainian leader of Italy's support for Ukraine as it defends itself from the Russian invasion.

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy, reassured Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a tweet Tuesday night that “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!”

Meloni was responding to a tweet of congratulations in which Zelenskyy expressed appreciation for “Italy's continued support to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.”

“We are counting on a fruitful collaboration with the new government,” he said.

The Brother's of Italy, which has neo-fascist roots, led Sunday's parliamentary election and is set to lead a new government with its right-wing coalition partners, Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, both of whom have had ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

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Sofia: Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry is urging against travelling to Russia and advising Bulgarian citizens there to consider leaving the country by any means of transport available.

The ministry advises Bulgarians who will stay in Russia to be vigilant, avoid crowded places and pay close attention to how the situation develops.

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Ankara: Turkish media are reporting that Turkey's state banks have suspended transactions through Russia's payment system, following U.S. threats of secondary sanctions on Turkish banks that accept the system.

Private NTV television and other media reported Wednesday that state-owned banks Vakiflar Bankasi, Ziraat Bankasi and Halk Bankasi decided to halt the use of the Mir system.

The decision comes days after two private banks, Is Bank and Denizbank, also stopped transactions through Mir.

NATO-member Turkey has not joined U.S. and European sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, retaining its close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv and positioning itself as a mediator between the two.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey was looking for alternatives to the Mir system, which allowed Russian tourists and those living in Turkey to access their accounts.

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Kyiv: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has blasted the separation votes in Russian-occupied parts of their country, calling them “null and worthless.”

A statement on Wednesday says Ukraine “will never agree to any Russian ultimatums.” Instead, Ukraine asked for further international financial and other support, including “tanks, combat aircraft, armoured vehicles, long-range artillery, anti-aircraft and missile defence equipment.”

Kyiv has received billions in aid from the U.S. and other Western nations since Russia invaded in February.

The Foreign Ministry statement described the referendums as a continuation of the Russian aggression.

“Forcing people in these territories to fill out some papers at the barrel of a gun is yet another Russian crime in the course of its aggression against Ukraine,” the ministry said.

“Moscow's attempts to create new separation lines or weaken international support for Ukraine are doomed to fail.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)