Ukraine and its allies were trying to “impose on us a completely different narrative about Russian aggression,” Lavrov argued. Lavrov was nearly 90 minutes late to the Security Council meeting and appeared to want to leave as soon as he finished his speech. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, speaking at the post-Lavrov Council meeting, said the UK would support Ukraine all the way and for as long as it takes. He smartly said that Russia tried to “put the blame on those who impose sanctions” and that “every day, the devastating consequences of Russia’s invasion become clearer.” He cleverly said of Lavrov: He has left the room, I am not surprised. I don’t think Mr. Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council. “He left the room, I’m not surprised, I don’t think Mr Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council,” says Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov left the meeting.https: / /t.co/X3flQUCiPZ 📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/8pymw5lIqw — Sky News (@SkyNews) September 22, 2022 Updated at 18.05 BST Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature
Summary
It’s just after 23:00 in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving directions directly to generals in the field, CNN reports. According to two sources familiar with US and Western intelligence who spoke to CNN, Putin’s direct orders to generals “suggest the dysfunctional command structure” that has affected Russian forces on the battlefield. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants EU sanctions on Russia lifted by the end of the year, a pro-government daily reported on Thursday. Orban, who has sought close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, has often railed against sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Many of the Ukrainians exchanged in the biggest prisoner exchange with Russia since the start of the invasion show signs of brutal torture, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence said Thursday. Ukraine on Wednesday announced the exchange of a record 215 imprisoned soldiers with Russia, including fighters who led the defense of Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said he was not surprised that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of the UN Security Council meeting. “I’m not surprised,” Smart told the UN, saying, “I don’t think Mr. Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving directions directly to generals in the field, CNN reports. According to two sources familiar with US and Western intelligence who spoke to CNN, Putin’s direct orders to generals “suggest the dysfunctional command structure” that has affected Russian forces on the battlefield. Other sources familiar with US intelligence told CNN there are significant disagreements over strategy with military leaders struggling to agree on where to focus their efforts in Ukraine. In addition, a senior NATO official told the agency that senior officials in Moscow are struggling to assign responsibility for Russia’s setbacks in the war. “Kremlin officials and state media pundits are feverishly discussing the reasons for the failure in Kharkiv, and in typical fashion, the Kremlin appears to be trying to deflect blame away from Putin and onto the Russian military,” the official said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants EU sanctions on Russia lifted by the end of the year, a pro-government daily reported on Thursday. Orban, who has sought close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, has often railed against sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. According to Orban, the sanctions are more damaging to Europe than to Russia. Magyar Nemzet reported that Orban urged members of his Fidesz party at a closed-door rally late Wednesday to lift the sanctions. “According to our information… Orbán called on members of the Fidesz faction to do everything they can to ensure that Europe lifts these sanctions by the end of the year at the latest,” the paper said. The government said it confirmed the content of the article. It comes as Brussels seeks to impose further sanctions on Russia. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said further sanctions would “deepen the difficulties”. “Europe is suffering more from the restrictions imposed in response to the war in Ukraine than Russia, and therefore the eighth package of sanctions should be forgotten,” he told the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week. Hungary has been hit by record inflation. The country is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas and there are fears about its energy supply. Meanwhile, Orban’s ruling Fidesz party has announced that it will soon launch a national public consultation on the issue of sanctions – a method used in the past to denounce the EU’s immigration policy for example. It will aim to give Hungarians a chance to express their opinion, Mate Kocsis, head of the party’s parliamentary group, told reporters. “It is not normal that sanctions are decided only by the Brussels elite,” Kocsis said. EU foreign ministers held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue after Moscow mobilized reserves for its war in Ukraine. The final decision must be made at a formal meeting. Many of the Ukrainians exchanged in the biggest prisoner exchange with Russia since the start of the invasion show signs of brutal torture, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence said Thursday. Agence France-Presse reports: Ukraine on Wednesday announced the exchange of a record 215 imprisoned soldiers with Russia, including fighters who led the defense of Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. “Many of them have been brutally tortured,” Kyrylo Budanov said during a press conference, without elaborating on signs of torture. Some of the prisoners “are in a more or less normal physical condition, except for chronic malnutrition due to poor detention conditions,” Budanov said. The prisoners were being held on Ukrainian territory held by Russian troops, as well as in Russia itself, according to the senior official. Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastirsky during the same press conference said that “absolutely all” of the exchanged Ukrainian prisoners “need psychological rehabilitation.” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said he was not surprised that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of the UN Security Council meeting. “I’m not surprised,” Smart told the UN, saying, “I don’t think Mr. Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council.” “I’m not surprised”: Cleverly reacts to Lavrov’s departure from the UN Security Council – video Updated at 19.24 BST
Summary of the day so far
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Thousands of men across Russia have been handed drafts after Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization. Among those summoned after the president’s announcement on Wednesday are Russians detained while protesting against the mobilization, rights group OVD-Info said. Traffic at Russian border crossings with Finland and Georgia surged after Putin announced a partial mobilization that sparked fears that men of combat age would be called up to fight on the front lines in Ukraine. Prices for one-way flights from Moscow to the nearest foreign locations have soared by more than $5,000 (£4,435), with most airfares sold out for the next few days. Photos showed long queues at the borders with Finland and Georgia. In response, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said her government was considering ways to drastically reduce Russian tourism and transit through Finland. “The will of the government is very clear, we believe in Russian tourism [to Finland] must be stopped, as well as the transit through Finland,” Marin told reporters. The Kremlin has dismissed reports of an exodus of Russian men of fighting age following Putin’s mobilization announcement as “exaggerated”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also refused to deny Russian media reports that some anti-mobilization protesters arrested on Wednesday night were given drafts, saying: “This is not against the law.” Russian defectors fleeing the mobilization may be able to receive protection in Germany, German Interior Minister Nancy Feiser said. “Defectors who are threatened with severe repression can, as a rule, receive international protection in Germany,” Faeser said in an interview. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said Russians leaving the country would not be issued humanitarian visas by the Czech Republic. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stern rebuke to Russia for “totally unacceptable” nuclear threats. Speaking at the opening of a UN Security Council meeting a day after Putin raised the stakes on his invasion of Ukraine, Guterres said Moscow’s plans to annex parts of Ukraine were a “violation of the UN charter and international law”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a UN Security Council meeting after accusing Ukraine and its Western allies of “impunity” in Donbas. Ukraine and its allies were trying to “impose on us a completely different narrative about Russia…
