Sept 23 2022
''Families' tearful goodbyes for the first Russian reservists as Putin mobilises troops to Ukraine''
Ukrainian soldiers have recaptured territory in the eastern region of Donetsk, as Moscow-proxies held votes on annexation by Russia.
www.telegraph.co.uk
''The US has been sending secret messages to Russia to warn that it will face grave consequences if it conducts a nuclear strike in Ukraine.
Deliberately vague, the memos are designed to keep the Kremlin guessing over how Joe Biden, the US President, would respond.
US officials told the Washington Post newspaper the private communications had been dispatched regularly for the last several months.
The revelation emerged after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, on Wednesday issued a threat to retaliate with nuclear weapons.
Western officials have played down the chances of the Kremlin leader using nuclear weapons, noting he has said similar things in the past. ''
''Traffic across Finland-Russian border 'heavy'
Traffic into Finland over its border with Russia is heavy today, with the number of Russians crossing rising steadily since President Vladimir Putin ordered a military mobilisation, border guards said.
The number of Russians who had entered the previous day was more than double the amount who arrived the week before, they said.
"This morning it remains busy...maybe increasing a little bit from yesterday," a border guard spokesperson said.
Max, a 21-year-old Russian student who declined to give his last name, said he was going to Finland to catch a flight to Germany to visit relatives.
"Technically, I'm a student so I should not be afraid of being drafted but we have seen that things are changing very quickly so I assume there is a chance," he told Reuters after crossing the border at Vaalimaa.
"I just wanted to be safe," he said.''
''Germany welcomes 'good sign' that Russians do not want to take part in the war
Berlin has said many Russians being called up to fight in the war in Ukraine do not want to take part, adding that this was welcome.
"Many Russians who are now being called up do not want to take part in this war either. This is a good sign," a government spokesperson told a regular news conference.
"A way must be left open for Russians to come to Europe and also to Germany," the spokesperson added.''