Russia-Ukraine war live news: voting in ‘sham’ referendums due to end; Japanese consul ‘interrogated’ in Russia

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The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says the Kremlin “faces a daunting task in trying to calm the Russian people while still mobilising enough men to keep fighting,” in its latest Russian offensive campaign assessment.

The thinktank documented protests in at least 35 Russian settlements on September 25 and at least 10 settlements on September 26, and said police continued to suppress protests, notably detaining several hundred women in Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha.

The ISW also said that the “planned annexation of occupied Ukraine may take place before or shortly after October 1, the start of Russia’s normal fall conscription cycle, to enable the forced conscription of Ukrainian civilians to fight against Ukraine.”

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called Russia’s mobilisation “a frank attempt to give commanders on the ground a constant stream of “cannon fodder”,” in his nightly address on Monday evening.

Russian society is not yet aware of all the brutality of the Russian government towards its own people. But we must do everything so that every citizen of Russia recognises that his own state is depriving him of the most important thing – the right to life.”

The president’s comments were published to Telegram.

Russia’s FSB security agency said on Monday it had detained a Japanese consul for suspected espionage and ordered him to leave the country.

The consul, Motoki Tatsunori, was released after a few hours of detention, Reuters reports. Japan’s top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said he was blindfolded, restrained, and treated in an “intimidating manner” which was “a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.

Tokyo has lodged a “strong protest” about the detention and signalled it may retaliate, Matsuno told a media briefing on Tuesday.

The FSB said the consul was declared persona non grata after he was caught “red-handed” receiving secret information on the effects of Western sanctions on the economic situation in Russia’s far east. It said the classified information, which also concerned Russia’s cooperation with an unnamed Asia-Pacific country, had been obtained in return for a “monetary reward”. Japan has said he was not participating in any illegal activity, and will leave the country by Wednesday.

Good morning. I’m Tess McClure, and will be beginning our live coverage with you. It’s just after 7am in Kyiv. Here’s the latest news and what’s happened overnight:

Russia’s “referendums” in Ukraine, which could lead to Moscow annexing 15% of the country’s territory, are due to end on Tuesday. Voting in the eastern provinces of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia began on Friday and have been dismissed as a sham by western nations, which have pledged not to recognise the results.

The Kremlin said it had made no decision on closing Russia’s borders as the first mobilisation since the second world war prompted some to flee.

Russia detained a Japanese consul for suspected espionage on Monday, and has ordered him to leave the country. Japan alleges he was blindfolded and restrained. Tokyo has lodged a “strong protest” about the detention and signalled it may retaliate.

A Russian man shot the leader of the local military draft committee in a Siberian town on Monday, after telling him he would refuse to fight in Ukraine. Video showed the gunman, dressed in camouflage, firing at the official from point-blank range as other potential draftees for the Russian invasion fled the room.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline’s pressure collapsed mysteriously on Monday. Authorities in Germany are trying to establish what caused the sudden drop in pressure in the defunct pipeline, with a spokesperson for its operator saying it could have been a leak.

Long queues of vehicles formed at the border crossing between Russia and Mongolia as people continue to flee the Kremlin’s mobilisation order. The head of a checkpoint in the town of Altanbulag said more than 3,000 Russians had entered Mongolia via the crossing since Wednesday.

Nato air forces are conducting drills over the Baltic Sea. Member states including the UK, Germany and Italy have taken part in the military training, both over water and on land, in an effort to boost eastern defences.

The Netherlands has increased its military support for Ukraine. The prime minister, Mark Rutte, also announced new sanctions in response to Russia’s mobilisation and referendums.

The US pledged to provide Ukraine with $457.5m in civilian security aid. The support was aimed at “saving lives” and “bolstering” Ukrainian law enforcement, said the secretary of state, Antony Blinken.

The Russian Orthodox Church head says Russian soldiers who die on the battlefield will have their sins absolved. Patriach Kirill, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and a staunch supporter of the Ukraine invasion, said the “sacrifice washes away all sins”.

The UK announced 92 new sanctions in response to Russia’s “sham referendums” in Ukraine. The package of penalties target those behind the sham votes as well as oligarchs and board members.

Germany is debating whether it should grant asylum to Russian war refuseniks. The interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said the country was potentially prepared to give protection to deserters who face repercussions if they refused to fight, but each case would be decided on an individual basis amid security concerns.

The UN’s atomic energy watchdog says it is ready for talks about setting up a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency head met the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine at the UN general assembly last week to discuss the possibility.

The US has warned of horrific consequences if Russia follows through with its thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons. Antony Blinken said any use of the weapons would have a “catastrophic” impact across the world.

Negotiators of a spending bill in the US Congress have agreed to include nearly $12bn in new military and economic aid to Ukraine, Reuters reported sources as saying on Monday. The funding – requested by the Biden administration – would include $4.5bn for defence capabilities and equipment for Ukraine and $4.5bn in direct support to the Kyiv government, the sources said.

Ukraine claims some Russian conscripts from the Kremlin’s mass mobilisation are being sent directly to the frontlines without training. Those included newly drafted personnel in Crimea as well as conscripts in the Luhansk region who have received draft summonses in recent days.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to liberate the entire country as Russia presses on with its supposed referendum in occupied areas of Ukraine. The Ukrainian president said the country’s armed forces would throw out Russia’s forces and retaliate against “every strike of the aggressor”.