NUNZIUM

Today September 30 Putin confirmed the annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia in a televised ceremony in the Kremlin's St. George's Hal, justified by the so-called “referendums”. He added that “….(they) are becoming our citizens forever” and that Russia “will defend its land with all the means available”. Ukraine and the West have renounced the vote as a sham and said they will never recognize the Ukrainian regions as being part of Russia. Reactions are escalating with the EU promising more opposition and economic sanctions, Ukraine promising continued military effort, and the US and Russia exchanging threats. Finland announced the closure of its borders to Russian tourists starting midnight. Additional tension is due to four gas leaks that occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on Monday. They were preceded by two large explosions that were registered by seismologists, indicating that it was a deliberate attack. To date, no pointers have yet emerged as to who might have done it and why. The damage now likely prevents transporting any gas to Europe even if the political situation changes. German security agencies are concerned that Nord Stream 1 may become unusable forever and the EU is now investigating the incident and promising countermeasures. Naval forces have been deployed from the Baltic to the Mediterranean seas to protect continental infrastructures. While NATO and US accused Russia, the Kremlin rejected accusations saying it was not in Russia's interest to stop the gas flow through the pipelines. Dmitry Peskov (Press Secretary) and Sergey Lavrov (Foreign Affairs) declared investigations are needed and that Russia would call for a UN Security Council over the matter. Putin himself defined it as an "unprecedented sabotage" and "an act of international terrorism”, accusing the US and saying that “it is obvious to everyone who did it”. In the meantime, Germany's government says it will spend up to €200 billion to help consumers and businesses cope with rising energy prices: a decision likely to spread through the EU countries. Further, a final measure of the EU commission on the price cap on energy imports will also be decided or rejected by mid-October.