September 20, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Sana Noor Haq, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 9:51 p.m. ET, September 20, 2022
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11:17 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Pro-Russia authorities in Zaporizhzhia join Donetsk and Luhansk in planning referendum on joining Russia 

From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Yulia Kesaieva

The so-called National Congress of Citizens of the Zaporizhzhia Region has a referendum on unification with Russia, said Vladimir Rogov, a senior pro-Russian official in occupied Zaporizhzhia.

Representatives of the public of the Zaporizhzhia region gathered in Melitopol addressed the military-civilian administration, Rogov said.

"The congress delegates demanded an immediate referendum on the reunification of the region with Russia, noting that this would forever restore peace in the Zaporizhzhia region and give impetus to the development of their native land, as well as stop the aggression of the Ukrainian regime against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure by militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Rogov said.

The infrastructure for this endeavor is also ready, according to Yevgeniy Balitskiy, the Russian-appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration.

“Technically, we are ready. Security of polling stations is ensured. Our borders are reliably protected by the Russian military," he said.

Meanwhile, as fighting continues in the area, he said the region will recruit “volunteers” in the "near future" to fight against Ukraine, adding that he has signed a decree on the “formation of volunteer battalions of Zaporizhzhia region.”

11:13 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Putin praises Russian weapons and equipment used in Ukraine as having "high efficiency"

From CNN's Anna Chernova

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russian weapons and equipment used against Ukrainian forces while speaking in a meeting with the heads of enterprises of the military-industrial complex on Tuesday.

“Russian weapons used during the [special military] operation show high efficiency,” Putin said.

“First of all, this concerns aviation, high-precision long-range missiles, aviation weapons, rocket-artillery, armored weapons and others. They allow to destroy military infrastructure, command posts, enemy equipment, hit the locations of nationalist formations, while minimizing losses among personnel,” he added.

Putin claimed that Russia’s equipment “effectively resists” Western models of weapons and called on further increasing and modernizing production capacities.

“Organizations of the defense industrial complex need to ensure the delivery of the required weapons and equipment to the troops, weapons of destruction as soon as possible,” he said.

10:09 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Ship that carried Ukrainian grain to Africa is a symbol of solidarity and diplomacy, UN chief says

A World Food Programme staff stands near the MV Brave Commander carrying wheat grain from Yuzhny Port in Ukraine to the Horn of Africa docks in Djibouti on August 30.
A World Food Programme staff stands near the MV Brave Commander carrying wheat grain from Yuzhny Port in Ukraine to the Horn of Africa docks in Djibouti on August 30.

In remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, UN chief António Guterres used the description of a ship that transported Ukrainian grain to Africa as a “symbol of what the world can accomplish when we act together.”

"It navigated through a war zone — guided by the very parties to the conflict — as part of an unprecedented comprehensive initiative to get more food and fertilizer out of Ukraine and Russia," he said.

At the end of August, after 14 days at sea, a shipment of 23,000 metric tons of wheat arrived on the MV Brave Commander in the Horn of Africa to support the United Nations World Food Programme. After Russia blocked Ukrainian Black Sea ports, the UN and Turkey helped broker a deal to get grain out of Ukraine.

"Some might call it a miracle on the sea. In truth, it is multilateral diplomacy in action," Guterres added.

"The Black Sea Grain Initiative has opened the pathway for the safe navigation of dozens of ships filled with much needed food supplies. But each ship is also carrying one of today’s rarest commodities: Hope," he said.

But besides hope, action is needed is stabilize the world's fertilizer market, Guterres said.

"It is essential to continue removing all remaining obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers and their ingredients, including ammonia. These products are not subject to sanctions – and we are making progress in eliminating indirect effects," he said.

"Without action now, the global fertilizer shortage will quickly morph into a global food shortage," he warned.

10:13 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

EU approves macro-financial package to provide additional 5 billion dollars to Ukraine

From CNN's Amy Cassidy in London 

Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura takes part in a meeting in Brussels on July 12.
Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura takes part in a meeting in Brussels on July 12. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

The EU Council on Tuesday cemented an additional 5 billion euros (nearly $5 billion) in macro-financial assistance for Ukraine by formally adopting the move agreed by the bloc's finance ministers earlier this month, according to the Council's website.

This marks the second stage of the EU's mobilization of up to 9 billion euros (nearly $9 billion) to support Ukraine’s macro-financial stabilization, "strengthen the immediate resilience of the country and sustain its capacity towards recovery," the statement reads.

It follows the 1 billion euros (about $1 billion) package adopted by the EU Council in July.

While the total macro-financial assistance package is made up of both loans and grants, the latest 5 billion euros is purely in loans, to be repaid by Ukraine within 25 years with guarantees, an EU spokesperson told CNN.

The "new loan of €5 billion will be used for the day-to-day running of the state and to ensure the operation of the country's critical infrastructure, such as offices, schools and hospitals," according to Zbyněk Stanjura, the finance minister of the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU Council presidency.

Some background: EU finance ministers had agreed on a statement on Sept. 9 in support of the additional 5 billion euros in assistance for Ukraine. Today, this additional assistance was formally adopted, according to the press release.

8:47 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Russian-backed administration in Kherson plans immediate referendum on joining Russia 

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Tim Lister

The Russian-backed head of the Kherson regional administration, Vladimir Saldo, has announced that a referendum on the region joining Russia will be held between Sept. 23 and 27, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reports.

Those are the same dates as announced by the self-declared republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.

"As head of the Administration of the Kherson region, I signed a decree on the referendum on the entry of the Kherson region into the Russian Federation as a full subject of the unified state," Saldo wrote on his Telegram channel. 

"The decree establishes the procedure for organizing voting and conducting the referendum on the territory of Kherson region, and also establishes measures of administrative and criminal liability for violation of these rules," he added.

Parts of Kherson are on the front lines between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

"Considering the difficult situation in Kherson region and understanding its responsibility for life and peace of mind of the region's residents, the Administration of Kherson region will do everything necessary to ensure safety for all residents of the region," Saldo said.

Earlier: One week into Ukraine's counteroffensive in September, senior US officials and Ukrainian officials told CNN that Ukrainian forces were making gains in the south, with the ambitious goal of taking back most of the Russian-occupied region of Kherson by the end of the year.

Saldo said the referendum will "secure" the territory in the backdrop of this counteroffensive.

"I am sure that the incorporation of Kherson region into the Russian Federation will secure our territory and restore historical justice. This is a necessary decision in the context of constant acts of terror on the part of armed formations of Ukraine and NATO member countries, which supply weapons to kill civilians on our land," he said.

8:36 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Pro-Russia leader asks Putin to move quickly on accepting Donetsk as part of Russia after referendum

From CNN's Anna Chernova 

Denis Pushilin, Head of the Donetsk People's Republic speaks to the media in Olenivka on August 10.(Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Denis Pushilin, Head of the Donetsk People's Republic speaks to the media in Olenivka on August 10.(Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, has written to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking for the rapid accession of the republic to the Russian federation once a referendum is held.

Here's his letter to Putin, as released on his Telegram channel: 

"Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
In the event of a positive decision following the referendum, which we have no doubts about, I ask you to consider the issue of the Donetsk People's Republic joining the Russian Federation as soon as possible. The long-suffering people of Donbas deserved to be part of the great country, which they always considered their Motherland.
This event will be the restoration of historical justice, the approach of which millions of Russian people crave."

US officials have warned that Moscow officials might use such strategies to "falsely claim that the Ukrainian people want to join Russia."

The self-declared republic has not been recognized by any governments, other than Russia and its close ally Syria.

8:36 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Lavrov claims referendums show self-declared Donbas republics want to be "masters of their own destiny"

From CNN's Anna Chernova

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers his speech in Moscow on September 19.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers his speech in Moscow on September 19. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Reuters)

In comments shortly after both the self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics announced they would hold referendums on joining the Russian Federation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed "it is the people of those territories who should decide their fate."

According to Lavrov, the current situation shows that citizens of Donbas want to be "masters of their own destiny."

“From the very beginning of the special military operation and in the period preceding it, we have been saying that it is the people of those territories who should decide their fate," Lavrov is quoted as saying by state news agency RIA Novosti. "And the whole current situation confirms that they want to be masters of their own destiny.”

Russian officials continue to call the invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation."

8:15 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

Self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics decide to hold referendums this week on joining Russia

From CNN's Anna Chernova and Tim Lister

Russian news agency TASS reported that the People's Council in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic has agreed to hold a "referendum on the entry of the DPR into the Russian Federation" starting later this week. 

The leader of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that the voting will be in "a mixed format - face-to-face and remote - taking into account security issues. One day will be allotted for in-person voting," he said, according to TASS.

The council is an unelected body. 

The leader of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, also signed a law on a referendum "on the entry of the Republic into the Russian Federation," according to the Luhansk Media Center.

Pasechnik's move was announced by the chair of the People's Council of the LPR, Denis Miroshnichenko, soon after the council unanimously proposed the referendum. 

"The head of the LPR has signed the law on a referendum on the issue of joining the Russian Federation as a constituent entity of the Russian Federation," Miroshnichenko said.

Miroshnichenko said the referendum would be held from Sept. 23 to Sept. 27, according to the local media portal Lug-Info. It quoted him as saying the question on the ballot would be: "Are you in favor of the LPR joining the Russian Federation as a constituent entity of the Russian Federation?"

Lug-Info said that according to the text of the law, "the Central Election Commission of the LPR will determine the results of the referendum on the Republic's entry into the LPR no later than five days after the last voting day."

This week has seen sudden moves in Donetsk, Luhansk and occupied parts of Kherson to hold referendums on joining Russia. Those moves have received swift support from Russian politicians. 

7:25 a.m. ET, September 20, 2022

An unelected council in Luhansk approves proposal for referendum on joining Russia

From CNN's Tim Lister

The People's Council of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic has unanimously supported a proposal for a referendum on joining Russia.

According to the Telegram account of the LPR, members of the People's Council passed the law approving "the referendum of the Luhansk People's Republic on the issue of joining the Russian Federation as a subject of the Russian Federation." 

Forty-two deputies participating in the meeting supported the law unanimously, it said.

The council is an unelected body. 

It's unclear when the vote might take place. Ukraine holds a small part of Luhansk region, and fighting continues around the city of Lysychansk.