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The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EDT.
11 p.m.: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Ukraine had received sophisticated air defense systems from the United States, Reuters reported.
It was the first acknowledgment that Ukraine had received the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), long sought by Kyiv and whose shipment was approved by Washington late last month.
"We absolutely need the United States to show leadership and give Ukraine the air defense systems. I want to thank President (Joe) Biden for a positive decision that has been already made," Zelenskyy said, according to an English-language transcript of the interview. "But believe me, it's not even nearly enough to cover the civilian infrastructure, schools, hospitals, universities, homes of Ukrainians.
10 p.m.: The European Union must stop importing diamonds from Russia, five of the bloc's 27 countries said in a joint proposal seen by Reuters, as the EU prepares new sanctions against Moscow for waging war against Ukraine.
The EU, which has so far implemented six rounds of sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, needs unanimity to agree any such ban that Belgium - home to the world's biggest diamond trading hub Antwerp - has rejected in the past.
The bloc was spurred into fresh action after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilization last week and moved to annex parts of eastern Ukraine.
The EU's executive European Commission is expected to present a formal proposal for more sanctions to member states this week.
Poland, Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia proposed introducing a retaliatory ban on imports of diamonds from Russia, where Alrosa ALRS.MM is the world's largest producer of rough gems.
The Antwerp World Diamond Centre said sanctions would take away some 30% of business and benefit rival trade hubs, adding clients should be allowed to decide themselves if they wanted Russian gems.
Belgium's foreign ministry and the diplomatic representation to the EU did not respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported
9:18 p.m.: Wearing T-shirts showing Russian bears, waving flags with "Z" symbols, and holding pictures of Putin aloft — the Ukraine war has not deterred Bulgarian Russophiles, who rallied in the center of the country to show their support, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Balkan state — an EU and NATO member with historically close ties to Russia — still has many citizens nostalgic for the former Communist regime.
The pro-Moscow rally came as Sofia readies to return to the polls and the country grapples with its identity.
8:44 p.m.:
7:46 p.m.: The United Arab Emirates agreed Sunday to supply natural gas and diesel to Germany as part of an "energy security" deal to replace Russian supplies, Agence France-Presse reported.
Emirati industry minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber called it a "landmark new agreement" that "reinforces the rapidly growing energy partnership between the UAE and Germany", at a signing attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the UAE's state news agency WAM reported.
Scholz signed the deal while on a Gulf tour that took him to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar hunting for new energy sources.
Scholz's two-day Gulf tour aimed to seal new energy deals to replace Russian supplies and mitigate the energy crisis resulting from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
7:01 p.m.: Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman for their annual pilgrimage, officials said Sunday, despite authorities asking them to skip the trip because of the war, Agence France-Presse reported.
Every year, Hasidic Jewish pilgrims come to Uman from across the world to visit the tomb of one of the main figures of Hasidic judaism for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.
The central Ukrainian city of Uman is relatively far from the frontline, but Ukrainian and Israeli authorities urged worshippers to skip the celebrations taking place between September 25 and 27 this year.
But despite the warnings, crowds of Hasidim dressed in traditional black clothing gathered in Uman, celebrating in the streets.
6:12 p.m.: Israel is to treat 20 Ukrainian soldiers wounded in the conflict with Russian forces, the Israeli ambassador to Kyiv announced, according to Agence France-Presse.
"Israel will receive for treatment 20 Ukrainian servicemen who were seriously wounded during the war," envoy Michael Brodsky wrote on Twitter.
The first two patients will arrive on Sunday for treatment at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, he added.
A medical source confirmed to AFP that two soldiers were en route to Israel, while a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian embassy in Tel Aviv said she expected the first patients to arrive "soon".
They will be treated with prosthetics and rehabilitation.
5:17 p.m.: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy said on Sunday that heavy fighting is taking place with Russian forces in many places along the frontline, some with "positive results" for Kyiv.
"This is the Donetsk region, this is our Kharkiv region. This is the Kherson region, and also the Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions," Zelenskiyy said in his nightly video address. "We have positive results in several directions."
4:48 p.m.:
4:08 p.m.: Long lines of vehicles were seen at a border crossing between Mongolia and Russia on Sunday as people fled the Kremlin's call-up of hundreds of thousands of reservists for the war in Ukraine, according to Agence France-Presse.
The head of a checkpoint in the town of Altanbulag told AFP that more than 3,000 Russians had entered Mongolia via the crossing since Wednesday, most of them men.
Queues of people holding Russian passports were also seen outside the immigration counter for the border crossing, according to an AFP reporter there.
"From September 21, the number of Russian citizens entering Mongolia has increased," checkpoint head Major G. Byambasuren told AFP. "As of 12:00 (noon) today, more than 3,000 Russian citizens have entered Mongolia."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced Russia's first military call-up of fighting-age men since World War II.
3:23 p.m.: Russia's two most senior lawmakers on Sunday addressed a string of complaints about Russia's mobilization drive, ordering regional officials to get a handle on the situation and swiftly solve the "excesses" that have stoked public anger.
The mobilization triggered protests across the country and flocks of military-age men are fleeing, causing tailbacks at borders and flights to sell out.
Multiple reports have also documented how people with no military service have been issued draft papers - contrary to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's guarantee that only those with special military skills or combat experience would be called up.
Russia's top two parliamentarians, both close Putin allies, addressed public anger at the way the mobilization drive was unfolding.
Valentina Matviyenko, the chairwoman of Russia's upper house, the Federation Council, said she was aware of reports of men who should be ineligible for the draft being called up.
"Such excesses are absolutely unacceptable. And, I consider it absolutely right that they are triggering a sharp reaction in society," she said on Telegram.
In a message to Russia's regional governors - who she said had "full responsibility" for implementing the call-up - she wrote: "Ensure the implementation of partial mobilization is carried out in full and absolute compliance with the outlined criteria. Without a single mistake."
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, Russia's lower chamber, also expressed concern in a separate post.
"Complaints are being received," he said. "If a mistake is made, it is necessary to correct it ... Authorities at every level should understand their responsibilities."
3:04 p.m.: Dmitry Skurikhin, who owns a store near St. Petersburg, Russia, has been hit with fines for his anti-war activism since Russia's invasion of Ukraine for allegedly "discrediting" the Russian military. Skurikhin is also facing criminal charges that could result in up to five years in prison. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has the story.
2:32 p.m.: The Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Sunday ridiculed Moscow’s partial mobilization to bolster its forces in Ukraine, posting on Twitter social media videos of Russian police beating and arresting men protesting the call-up.
The mockery came as Russia’s two top lawmakers expressed concern about the drive, ordering regional officials to resolve “excesses” that have ignited public anger, triggered demonstrations and prompted military-age men to make for border crossings.
1:46 p.m.: Russia’s rush to mobilize hundreds of thousands of recruits to staunch stinging losses in Ukraine is a tacit acknowledgement that its “army is not able to fight,” Ukraine’s president said on Sunday, and The Associated Press reported.
Speaking to U.S. broadcaster CBS, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said he’s bracing for more Russian strikes on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure, as the Kremlin seeks to ramp up the pressure on Ukraine and its Western backers as the weather gets colder. Zelenskyy warned that this winter “will be very difficult."
“They will shoot missiles, and they will target our electric grid. This is a challenge, but we are not afraid of that,” he said on “Face the Nation.”
He portrayed the Russian mobilization as a signal of weakness, not strength. “They admitted that their army is not able to fight with Ukraine anymore," he said.
1 p.m.: Police clashed on Sunday with people opposed to the mobilization in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, underscoring the level of discontent with President Vladimir Putin's decision to send hundreds of thousands more men to fight in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The mobilization has triggered protests in dozens of cities across the country. Public anger has appeared to be particularly strong in poor ethnic minority regions like Dagestan, a Muslim-majority region located on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the mountainous north Caucasus.
Dozens of videos posted on social media showed confrontations with police in the regional capital of Makhachkala as protesters shouted "no to war."
One video showed a group of women chasing away a police officer, while several clips showed violent clashes, including police sitting on protesters, as police attempted to make detentions.
12:18 p.m.: The United States would respond decisively to any Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and has spelled out to Moscow the "catastrophic consequences" it would face, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
Sullivan's remarks represented the latest U.S. warning following the thinly veiled nuclear threat made by Vladimir Putin in a speech last Wednesday.
"If Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia. The United States will respond decisively," Sullivan told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.
Sullivan did not describe the nature of the planned American response during his comments on Sunday. But he said the United States has privately to Moscow "spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean."
Sullivan said the U.S. has been in frequent, direct contact with Russia, including during the last few days to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Putin's actions and threats.
12:05 p.m.: Roger Waters, co-founder of the English rock band Pink Floyd, has canceled concerts planned in Poland amid anger over his stance on Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
An official with the Tauron Arena in Krakow, where Waters was scheduled to perform two concerts in April, said they would no longer take place.
"Roger Waters' manager decided to withdraw...without giving any reason," Lukasz Pytko from Tauron Arena Krakow said.
City councilors in Krakow were expected to vote next week on a proposal to name Waters as a persona non grata, expressing "indignation" over the musician's stance on the war in Ukraine.
Allowing "Roger Waters, an open supporter of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, to play in Krakow...would be shameful for our city," city councilor Lukasz Wantuch said last week on social media. "Let him sing in Moscow."
Waters wrote an open letter to Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska earlier this month in which he blamed "extreme nationalists" in Ukraine for having "set your country on the path to this disastrous war."
Waters has also criticized NATO, accusing it of provoking Russia.
11:40 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has provided guarantees to Russian soldiers who surrender to Ukrainian forces and called on Russians to dodge their country's recent partial military mobilization, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Speaking in a September 24 address in which he switched to the Russian language, Zelenskyy offered guarantees to Russians who are taken prisoner while fighting in Ukraine and referred to newly enacted penalties in Russia against deserters or those who dodge the draft.
“First, you will be treated in a civilized manner, in accordance with all conventions,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Second, no one will know the circumstances of your surrender, no one in Russia will know that your surrender was voluntary. And third, if you are afraid to return to Russia and do not want an exchange, we will find a way to ensure this as well.”
9:50 a.m.: British Prime Minister Liz Truss said Britain and its allies should not be listening to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "saber-rattling" on Ukraine after he ordered a partial mobilization of troops and raised the possibility of a nuclear conflict.
"We should not be listening to his saber-rattling and his bogus threats. Instead, what we need to do is continue to put sanctions on Russia and continue to support the Ukrainians," Truss told CNN in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
9:11 a.m.: Seven more ships laden with agricultural produce left Ukrainian ports on Sunday, the country's infrastructure ministry said, and Reuters reported. This brings the total to 218 since a U.N.-brokered corridor through the Black Sea came into force at the start of August.
In a post on Facebook, the ministry said this brought the total amount of agricultural produce shipped through the corridor to 4.85 million tons.
"On September 25 ... seven ships with 146.2 thousand tons of agricultural produce for countries in Africa, Asia and Europe left the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi," the ministry said.
Ukraine shipped up to 6 million tons of grain per month before the war.
8:40 a.m.: Ukraine and Russia traded accusations on Sunday of attacks on civilians in southern Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Ukraine's military said Russian forces had launched dozens of missile attacks and air strikes on military and civilian targets in the past 24 hours. Russia also used drones to attack the center of the southern city of Odesa, Ukraine's military said. No casualties were reported.
Russia denies deliberately attacking civilians. The RIA state news agency reported Ukrainian forces bombed a hotel in the city of Kherson, killing two people. Russian forces have occupied the southern city since the early days of the invasion.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine.
Russia's defense ministry said on Sunday Ukrainian forces continued attacks around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, including launching eight "kamikaze drones" at the facility.
8:02 a.m.: The referendums in four eastern Ukrainian regions, aimed at annexing territory Russia has taken by force, continued on their third day Sunday. The Russian parliament could move to formalize the annexation within days, Reuters reported.
Russia has sought to defend its seven-month old war at the United Nations, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying that regions of Ukraine where widely-derided referendums are being held would be under Russia's "full protection" if annexed by Moscow.
Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the referendums as a sham designed to justify an escalation of the war and a mobilization drive by Moscow after recent battlefield losses.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly and the world's media in New York on Saturday, Lavrov attempted to justify Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, repeating Moscow's false claims that the elected government in Kyiv was illegitimately installed and filled with neo-Nazis.
5:35 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry said high-profile Russian nationalist Duma member Aleksandr Khinstein on Sept. 21 called for the partial mobilization of Russia’s military to be extended to the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia).
Rosgvardia units have played an important role in both combat and rear-area security in Ukraine and are currently facilitating accession referendums in occupied areas, the update said. Mobilization may be used to reinforce Rosgvardia units with additional manpower.
5:02 a.m.: The latest Ukraine assessment from the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said Russia may be preparing to forcibly mobilize Ukrainian prisoners of war in what may constitute a violation of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War.
Russian forces conducted ground attacks around Bakhmut, Donetsk City, and in western Donetsk Oblast, the assessment said, while Ukrainian forces likely continued to make gains along the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border and northwest of Lyman.
3:13 a.m.: Serbia has signed an agreement with Russia for mutual "consultations" on foreign policy matters, the Balkan country's media reported Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic signed the agreement Friday along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York.
The consultation plan covered by the agreement is expected to last for two years, Serbia's foreign ministry said in a Friday statement.
Although Serbia said it supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, the government has repeatedly refused to join Western sanctions against its Slavic allies in Moscow.
Aligning foreign policies with the EU is one of the main preconditions for joining the 27-nation bloc, but Serbia has increasingly defied calls to do so.
Media in Serbia and Russia said Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, met Lavrov in New York and the two "emphasized the joint focus on further dynamic development of Russian-Serbian relations."
Officials from Serbia's pro-Western opposition said the signing of the latest deal with Russia is a sign that Vucic, a former ultranationalist, has given up on the Balkan country joining the EU and is bringing it closer into Moscow's fold.
2:17 a.m.: The Kremlin's statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are "absolutely unacceptable" and Kyiv will not give into it, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said early Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have mentioned nuclear weapons as an option in extremis.
"Putin's and Lavrov's irresponsible statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are absolutely unacceptable," Kuleba wrote on Twitter. "Ukraine won't give in. We call on all nuclear powers to speak out now and make it clear to Russia that such rhetorics put the world at risk and will not be tolerated."
1:16 a.m.: Kyiv and Moscow traded blame for shelling in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region late Saturday, Reuters reported.
Regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said on Telegram that Russian forces launched “a massive missile strike” on the region from about 10 planes, wounding at least three people.
Russia’s RIA state news agency, citing unnamed sources, said Ukrainian forces shelled a granary and fertilizer warehouses in the region.
Reuters was unable to verify the claims of either side.
12:02 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was shocked at Israel's failure to give Kyiv antimissile systems to help counter Russian attacks, according to an interview made public Saturday.
Zelenskyy has been asking for the weapons since shortly after the war started in February. He has mentioned Israel's Iron Dome system, often used to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
"I don't know what happened to Israel. I'm honestly, frankly - I am in shock, because I don't understand why they couldn't give us air defenses," he said, according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy made the remarks in an interview with French reporters on Wednesday. His office released a recording of the interview Saturday.
Some information in this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press.
