Russia-Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy talks down Putin speech

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on German newspaper Bild's online TV channel on Wednesday, soon after a speech from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announcing that Russia would call up several hundred thousand reservists in a "partial" mobilization. 

Zelenskyy said that the comments from Putin had come as no surprise, saying that Putin was only publicly acknowledging a process that had in fact begun some time ago. 

"No news for me," Zelenskyy said when asked for his thoughts on the speech. He said that Putin had already begun this process, only not "officially with his orders" until now. Zelenskyy said that both Ukrainian intelligence agencies and those of its partners had already highlighted these call-ups "for months now." 

Zelenskyy said that the recruitment was necessary because of heavy Russian losses in Ukraine. 

"We already know, that they mobilized cadets, boys who could not fight. These cadets fell," he said, concluding that Putin "wants to drown Ukraine in blood, but also the blood of his own soldiers."

Zelenskyy also told Bild that he did not believe Putin's veiled threats appearing to raise the possibility of using nuclear weapons, though he said it could not be categorically ruled out either. 

He also said that the international community still could not give in to such threats: "Tomorrow Putin can say: 'We also want, as well as Ukraine, a part of Poland, otherwise we will use nuclear weapons.' We cannot strike compromises like these."

In addition, Zelenskyy repeated his appeal to the German government to send more heavy weaponry to the front lines, and said that Ukraine would continue its counteroffensive even as Russian-occupied or partially Russian-occupied territories announced plans for so-called "referendums" on joining the Russian Federation. 

"We will stick to our plan step by step. I am certain that we will liberate our territory," Zelenskyy said, adding that "90% of countries" would not recognize "fake referendums." 

Here's a roundup of other news in or concerning the war in Ukraine on September 21.

Ukraine and Russia in mass prisoner swap

Ukraine has announced the release of 215 soldiers being held as prisoners of war by Russia, in exchange for 55 Russian prisoners going the other way .

Among the released were fighters who led the defense of Mariupol's Azovstal's steelworks, an act that has been hailed as an icon of Ukrainian resistance. 

Ukraine presidency's chief of staff Andriy Yermak announced on television that commanders of the Azov battalion were included in those released. 

The Azov regiment is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine. It gained attention fighting pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region since 2014.

The prisoners that were being held by Ukraine include Victor Medvedchuck, leader of a banned pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.

Medvedchuck is said to be Putin's right hand man in Ukraine. He had been charged for alleged treason for his involvement with Russia. He was captured by Ukrainian forces in April. 

Zelenskyy demands 'punishment' for Russia at UN summit

Addressing the UN General Assembly via video, Zelenskyy called on world leaders to strip Russia of its veto power and set up a special tribunal to punish Moscow.

"So long as the aggressor is a party to decision-making in the international organizations, he must be isolated from them," he said.

Russia is a permanent member of the UN's most powerful entity, the Security Council. It vetoed a demand to stop its attack on Ukraine days after it began.

"A crime has been committed against Ukraine and we demand just punishment," Zelenskyy said. 

Speaking hours after Russia's announcement of mobilization, the Ukrainian leader said it was obvious that Russia was preparing for a long war and that any mention of negotiations could not be taken seriously. 

"They talk about the talks but announce military mobilization. They talk about the talks but announce pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine," he said.

EU ministers to hold emergency meeting over Russian threats

European Union foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly late on Wednesday night to discuss new sanctions against Russia.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization for the war in Ukraine.

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said they would also discuss Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons.

"The ministers have to discuss this threat, to reiterate the continuing support to Ukraine and to alert the international community about the unacceptable situation in which Putin is putting all of us," Borrell told reporters in New York.

He said the ministers would discuss continuing military support for Ukraine.

"It's clear Russia wants to destroy Ukraine," Borrell said. "We will not be intimidated."

Russia releases 10 foreigners in Saudi-brokered deal

Russia has released 10 foreigners in a prisoner exchange brokered by Riyadh, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced.

The ministry said the prisoners included American, British, Croatian, Moroccan and Swedish nationals captured in Ukraine, and that they had landed in the kingdom. 

"The relevant Saudi authorities received and transferred them from Russia to the kingdom and are facilitating procedures for their respective countries," the Saudi statement said.

Although Riyadh did not name the individuals, other governments and family representatives of those involved started providing more information soon after the announcement.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss said it was "hugely welcome news" that five British citizens were among those being safely returned. She thanked Ukraine's Zelenskyy and Saudi Arabia for their assistance. 

Meanwhile, a family representative for US citizens Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh told the Reuters news agency that they were both part of the accord.

At UN, Biden slams 'brutal, needless war'

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said that Russia had "shamelessly violated" the UN Charter with its invasion. 

"We will stand in solidarity against Russia's aggression. Period,'' Biden said. 

You can read the story in full here. 

Raids in Germany reportedly target oligarch Usmanov

Some 250 law enforcement officials in Germany mobilized in raids centered in, but not confined to, the state of Bavaria on Wednesday. 

Public prosecutors and the German federal investigative police force (the BKA) did not name the suspects in their written statements. They said the main suspect was accused both of breaching Ukraine-related sanctions this year and of other financial crimes, primarily money laundering and tax evasion, dating back several years. 

But Bavarian and national media concurred that the principal target was Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov. 

What data authorities did publish on Wednesday, such as his gender, age, and the date he was placed on the EU's Ukraine-related sanctions list this year, would all match with Usmanov. 

You can read the story in full here. 

UK: 'Referendums' driven by 'fears of imminent Ukrainian attack'

The UK's Ministry of Defence said in its daily intelligence update on Wednesday that plans for so-called referendums on joining the Russian Federation in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine were likely hatched amid concerns of Ukraine regaining ground in its counteroffensive. 

"This urgency is likely driven by fears of imminent Ukrainian attack and an expectation of greater security after formally becoming part of Russia," the Ministry said in its daily intelligence update. 

It also highlighted that "Russian forces in Ukraine continue to experience personnel shortages" and pointed to new tougher rules for deserters agreed in the Duma parliament on Tuesday. The update was issued shortly before Putin's speech announcing a partial reservist mobilization. 

The UK also discussed the increasing domestic pressure it says Putin is facing at home. It speculated that Putin was now talking more openly about the conflict in the hope of finding more willing recruits and supporters. 

"Putin is accepting greater political risk by undermining the [previous Russian] fiction that Russia is neither in a war nor a national crisis in the hope of generating more combat power," the Ministry said.

More Ukraine-related content on dw.com

One Russian singer has caused a stir with a social media post seeming to criticize the war in Ukraine. Although she was careful not to use outlawed words like "war," she did say that recent actions had turned Russia into a "pariah" and made "life difficult for its citizens." Find out what moved her to speak out here. 

More and more European countries are restricting travel for visitors from Russia, for entry and transit alike. Georgia is one notable exception, DW's Benjamin Restle went to see for himself. 

Meanwhile, in Germany, the government has announced plans to nationalize major gas importer Uniper, which has been plunged into severe financial difficulties because of a combination of higher gas prices and reduced imports from Russia.

DW's Miodrag Soric writes in this opinion article that Putin's mobilization and the hasty "referendums" in eastern Ukraine are "signs of weakness" and further evidence that the Russian president "miscalculated" and now fears he might pay a high price at home.

msh/wd (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)