Russia-Ukraine latest updates: Hundreds arrested across Russia

More than 1,300 people have been arrested at demonstrations across Russia against Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation of civilians to fight in Ukraine, a police monitoring group has said.

The OVD-Info monitoring group counted at least 1,332 people detained at rallies in 38 different cities across the country after Putin’s morning address to the nation.

The cables providing essential electricity to one of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s reactors was damaged by shelling, temporarily forcing the unit to run on emergency diesel generators before external power was restored, the UN nuclear watchdog has said.

The plant’s five other reactors were not affected, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

While the government in Russia promised that only those with military experience would be called up to fight in Ukraine, in practice nothing legally prevents those without it from also being enlisted.

In response, the Spring youth democratic movement called for renewed demonstrations against mobilisation in the centres of Moscow, St Petersburg and all Russian cities.

Read more here.

Turkey has condemned Russia’s “illegitimate” plans to hold annexation referendums in four Moscow-controlled regions of Ukraine.

“Such illegitimate fait accomplis will not be recognised by the international community,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

The commander of Ukraine’s army said his forces would “destroy” invading Russian troops whether they had been deployed voluntarily or as part of a new mobilisation announced by Russia.

“There are no statements from the military and political leadership of the aggressor country that can affect our willingness to fight for our freedom. We will destroy everyone who comes to our land with weapons – whether voluntarily or by mobilisation,” Ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote on Facebook.

European Union foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in New York later on Wednesday, diplomats said, after Putin ordered the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in Ukraine.

The foreign ministers are in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The UK’s Prime Minister Liz Truss has welcomed the release of five British nationals captured in Ukraine, following mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“Hugely welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families,” she said on Twitter.

“Russia must end the ruthless exploitation of prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political ends.”

Hugely welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families.

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) September 21, 2022

Any threat from Putin to use nuclear weapons is “unacceptable” but Germany will continue to support Ukraine and try to prevent an escalation in the war between Russia and Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told ARD television.

“We are sticking to our balanced, decisive course in supporting Ukraine and preventing an escalation of the war beyond that between Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to do that,” Scholz was quoted as saying in an excerpt of the interview to be broadcast later.

Russia has released US citizens Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, in a prisoner exchange deal brokered by Saudi Arabia, a family representative told the Reuters news agency.

The pair, both from Alabama, were captured in June while fighting in eastern Ukraine where they went to support Ukrainian troops resisting Russia’s invasion.

More than 200 people have been arrested at demonstrations across Russia against Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilisation of civilians to fight in Ukraine, a police monitoring group has said.

The OVD-Info monitoring group said at least 260 people were detained at rallies in 20 different cities, while the AFP news agency reported that police wearing anti-riot gear were detaining protesters.

Russia released 10 prisoners of war captured in Ukraine following mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Saudi official has said.

The list includes American, British, Swedish, Croatian and Moroccan nationals, the official said, adding that a plane carrying the prisoners landed in the kingdom.

US President Joe Biden has accused Russia of “shamelessly” violating the core tenets of the United Nations charter with its “brutal, needless war” in Ukraine.

Delivering a forceful condemnation of Russia’s invasion to the UN General Assembly, Biden said reports of Russian abuses against civilians in Ukraine “should make your blood run cold”.

He also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s new thinly veiled nuclear threats showed “reckless disregard” for his nation’s responsibilities as a signatory of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

“We will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggression. Period,” he added.

More than 120 people have been detained across Russia for taking part in protests against Moscow’s move to mobilise hundreds of thousands of reserve forces, according to an independent monitoring group.

The OVD-Info group said it was aware of police having detained demonstrators in at least 15 different cities. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws.

Russia’s Vesna anti-war movement had earlier called for protests against the Kremlin’s mobilisation move, urging Russians to gather at 7pm (16:00 GMT) for rallies in cities across the country.

Ukrainians who spoke to Al Jazeera say Moscow’s move to deploy more troops in their country does not fill them with fear.

Read more here.

French President Emmanuel Macron has described Putin’s move to declare a partial military mobilisation as a “mistake”, warning it will further isolate Russia.

“His decision is bad news for Russian people, young people and will increase isolation of his county”, Macron said in New York, where the United Nations General Assembly is meeting.

Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from Kyiv, says Ukrainian forces feel that the 300,000 reservists being called up by Russia “won’t be necessarily well prepared or … a very good fighting force”.

“They [Ukrainian forces] say that it doesn’t matter how many troops Russia sends to Ukraine if they don’t have tanks to drive and missiles to fire, they’ll be rendered almost useless,” Elizondo said.

“The bottom line from Kyiv is they feel that this is in some ways a victory because they view it as Putin admitting to some degree that this war has not gone as planned for him and that, to some degree, the Ukrainian defence and now counteroffensive are working,” he added.

The president of the European Council says the European Union will remain “steadfast” in its support for Ukraine amid Russia’s move to mobilise hundreds of thousands of reserve troops and oversee annexation votes in occupied territories.

“In this war, there is only one aggressor, Russia, and one aggressed country, Ukraine,” Charles Michel tweeted.

“[The] EU’s support to Ukraine will remain steadfast,” he added.

Kremlin announces mobilization on the #internationaldayofpeace2022 while at #UNGA countries work for cooperation, security and prosperity.

In this war, there is only one aggressor, Russia, and one aggressed country, Ukraine.

EU’s support to #Ukraine will remain steadfast.

— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) September 21, 2022

Ukraine’s president has said there is a shrinking likelihood of him holding talks with Putin about ending the war, adding such discussions could only take place if the Russian leader withdrew his forces from Ukrainian territory.

Speaking via a translator in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine wanted to hold any potential talks with Moscow from a position of strength.

He also repeated calls for Germany to supply weapons and air defence systems to Ukraine, saying they were needed to save lives.

Alexander Titov, a lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast who specialises in Russian foreign policy, says that Moscow’s mobilisation plans must be seen in tandem with the referendums announced by Kremlin-backed separatists in Ukraine.

“I think once those referendums are held, regardless of their legitimacy, Russia will formally annex those territories and after that, the room for negotiation [between Moscow and Kyiv] will be extremely limited,” Titov told Al Jazeera.

“Russia is mobilising, Ukraine is mobilising. They both have supplies of weapons and so forth. So, it really is turning into a war of attrition which can go on for years rather than [the] one decisive quick victory which was hoped [for] by the Russians in the beginning,” he added.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has denounced Putin’s “dangerous” rhetoric after Russia’s leader hinted at a possible use of nuclear weapons over the war in Ukraine.

“This is dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric. It’s not new as he has done it many times before. He knows very well that a nuclear war should never be fought and cannot be won, and it will have unprecedented consequences for Russia,” Stoltenberg said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

His remarks came just hours after Putin said Moscow would use “all available means” to protect Russia’s “territorial integrity”.

“This is not a bluff,” the Russian leader warned.