Ukraine urges other countries not to recognise the vote

Authorities in Kyiv have called the voting in those territories illegal and urged foreign governments and international organisations not to recognize the election.

They warned Ukrainians that taking part in organising the vote could carry criminal liability.

A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups called on residents of the Russia-held territories to stay away from the polls.

“We urge residents of the temporarily occupied territories, above all, to protect their lives and health and to look after their own safety,” the coalition said in a statement.

“Holding Russian elections in the temporarily occupied territories is an attempt to use the electoral process to legitimize the Russian occupation and the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territories.”

European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said the voting in Russian-held regions represented "another blatant violation of international law.

The European Union does not, and will never recognize either the holding of these, so-called elections, sham elections, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results.”

Alex Croft21 September 2026 01:30

Watch: Trump claims Don Jr. is paying back Russian oligarch for lavish wedding

Alex Croft21 September 2026 00:00

Russian drone attack killed a mother and her two small children in Kyiv region

A Russian drone attack ⁠killed a mother and her two 3-year-old ⁠children ​in ⁠Ukraine's Kyiv region ⁠overnight, the ​emergency service ⁠said ‌on Sunday.

The drone strike ‌hit a ‌private home, the ⁠service said.

Russia has been attacking the capital Kyiv and the surrounding ‌Kyiv region ​with ‌drones continually ⁠in ⁠recent weeks.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 23:01

Putin’s war economy is under strain. One thing is keeping it afloat

Mounting defence expenditure is widening Russia’s budget deficit and increasing strain across its wartime economy, as business and consumer sentiment weakens and economic growth slows.

Economists note, however, that these difficulties do not point to an immediate financial meltdown or economic collapse. High global oil prices linked to the Iran war continue to shore up essential export revenues, allowing the state to fund its four-and-a-half-year-old invasion of Ukraine – for now.

In addition, low unemployment rates and generous government spending in poorer regions are helping to suppress domestic discontent.

This economic baseline fits the Kremlin’s narrative of stability during Russia’s stage-managed parliamentary election, which began on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Yet experts caution that underlying long-term challenges are steadily weakening the economy, creating risks that could eventually precipitate a crisis.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 22:01

Turkey awaiting response from Ukraine, Russia on offer to end Black Sea fighting

Turkey has sent proposals to Ukraine and Russia aimed at ending attacks in the Black Sea and is awaiting a response from both sides, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.

Fidan said Ankara’s immediate priority was to ensure grain could continue to leave the Black Sea, amid a recent rise in attacks on commercial vessels.

“We sent proposals to both sides,” Fidan told NTV. “We received responses from both sides.

“We are trying to reach a conclusion. Frankly, both sides have demands and positions that are difficult to reconcile,” he added.

“Our first priority is the extraction of grain from the Black Sea,” said Fidan.

“Countries around the world need it. Grain is a product that both country sells. But there are difficulties to overcome.

He said there were also diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the wider Russia-Ukraine war, but a lasting solution appeared difficult to achieve at this stage.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 21:01

Slovak PM Fico says some in West seek war between Russia and Nato

Some Western politicians are seeking conflict between Nato and Russia ​after a "failed" strategy to defeat Moscow in its war with Ukraine, Slovak prime minister Robert Fico said on Saturday.

Longtime Slovak leader Fico, who has kept up warm relations with Russia and refuses military aid ⁠for Ukraine, said this week that Europe was closer than ever to a large-scale war erupting from the Ukraine war.

At the same time, some European leaders, such as those in France and Poland, have warned of Russian hybrid attacks.

In his video ⁠message, Fico said, "We face a mortal ​danger" while ⁠watching the West "pour fuel on the fire" with its support for Ukraine, which he said had been to no avail.

"The failure ⁠of the strategy to destroy Russia through the war in Ukraine has led ​some ⁠Western politicians to believe that if ‌the goal cannot be achieved through the Ukrainian army and full support for it, then every effort must be made to trigger a conflict ‌between Nato and Russia," Fico said in the ‌video posted on social media.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 20:35

Comment Putin’s election victory is assured. His victory in Ukraine is anything but

Vladimir Putin’s demeanour, usually a study of sneering command and icy stare, was showing distinct twitchiness in the run-up to this weekend’s three days of elections across Russia.

The result of the vote for the 450-seat Russian parliament, the Duma, is not in doubt. Any serious opposition parties have been ruled out on various spurious, legalistic pretexts. The last to get the thumbs-down from the electoral office was Yabloko, the only ostensibly anti-war party left in the race.

The last Duma election was in 2021, the year before the outright invasion of Ukraine. This time, it is a war election – the fiction of calling it a “special military operation” all but abandoned by the Kremlin. Putin is wrapping himself in the flag, saying this is a great war for the defence of the motherland, with strong echoes of Stalin’s Great Patriotic War of 1941 to 1945, which cost Russia around 25 million lives.

It is not just a question of winning, but winning well, and winning with a large popular vote.

Currently, his United Russia Party holds 320 of the Duma’s 450 seats. He needs at least 300 seats to change the constitution – and he will be looking to an unprecedented further term as president in 2030 or 2031.

Robert Fox writes:

Alex Croft20 September 2026 20:21

Zelensky says he will meet Trump in New York - and that it could 'change a lot'

Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will be meeting with Donald Trump during the UN General Assembly in New York - adding that the meeting could “change a lot” in efforts towards peace.

“I just spoke with President Trump @POTUS. An important conversation, and we got through a lot. We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.

“There are ideas for de-escalation steps and for addressing fundamental security issues – energy security, food security, and the protection of human life,” he added.

Mr Zelensky said Kyiv is ready to take “really serious steps” in its efforts for peace.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 20:05

Russia's ruling Putin-backed party on track to easily win parliamentary election

Russia's ruling United Russia party was on track to easily win a parliamentary election with 57.5 per cent of the vote, the Central Election Commission said on Sunday.

Nearly 14 per cent of the votes have been counted.

President Vladimir Putin has cast the vote as a test of support for the war in Ukraine, but critics say the country's tightly-controlled political system does not tolerate dissent.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, says national unity and some censorship are necessary during what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Alex Croft20 September 2026 19:45

Zelensky shares footage of Russian attacks across Ukraine this week, says 2,000 drones launched

Volodymyr Zelensky has shared footage of Russian drone attacks across Ukraine, adding that it launched 2,000 drones over the past week.

“This week alone, Russia has launched more than 2,000 attack drones against us, most of them jet-powered, as well as 1,700 aerial bombs and 19 missiles of various types,” he said on X.

The Ukrainian president added: “Yesterday, in the Kherson region, the Russians struck a monastery with an FPV drone. Tragically, one member of the monastery clergy was killed and four others were wounded.”

Alex Croft20 September 2026 19:00