The country celebrated on Monday 30 September the second anniversary of the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories, two of which were self-declared People's Republics at war with the central government

President Putin, when asked if he would change his decision to invade Ukraine in any way, replied that he would have to decide 'before' doing so

Vladimir Putin said that 'this year, on average, over a thousand people a day are enlisting' under contract in the Russian armed forces; the government has increased payments for those who enlist, with highest payment being set by the Moscow City Council

President Putin decleared that "Russia has the right to strike at countries that have supplied arms to Ukraine"