Putin's promised 6pm address 'declaring war' FAILS to happen

Putin keeps the world waiting: Russian leader’s promised 6pm address ‘declaring war’ FAILS to happen amid confusing reports from Kremlin and scoffing from rivals that he ‘can’t even mobilise a speech’

• Putin kept the world waiting nearly two hours and ultimately appeared to cancel
• Russian state media had announced the president would give a speech Tuesday
• It would have been his first international speech since the invasion of Ukraine
• Pundits predicted he would use the speech to mobilise Russian citizens to fight

Russian president Vladimir Putin was expected to give a speech at 6pm London time from Moscow potentially announcing the official declaration of war in Ukraine to defend Russian-occupied territories, but kept the world waiting on Tuesday night.

Russian news channel that announced the speech deleted their posts around two hours after the Russian leader was set to begin what would have been his first international announcement since the country’s invasion of Ukraine on February 25.

It appeared as though the Russian leader had cancelled his speech, pushing it back to Wednesday, according to a Telegram account run by political analyst Sergei Markov, close to the Kremlin.

‘They can’t even mobilise a speech,’ said one observer, mocking the apparent cancellation.

‘Rumour has it that Putin’s speech has been delayed due to his long walk from the end of the table to the press room,’ joked another.

The news comes after Dmitry Medvedev, a staunch Putin ally, vowed that ‘all forces of self-defence’ will be used to protect what he called ‘Russian territory’ — hinting at an escalation in Ukraine.

Moscow’s parliament then passed new laws paving the war for Putin to end his ‘special military operation’ and officially declare a war, allowing him to mobilise Russia’s massive population into the army.

The move could herald a new phase of the conflict involving weapons and tactics the Kremlin has so-far held in reserve. 

Russian president Vladimir Putin was set to give a speech at 6pm London time from Moscow, but ultimately appeared to cancel the planned speech after delaying for two hours

A still image taken from a handout video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry press-service on 20 September 2022 shows a BM-27 Uragan multiple-launch rocket system of Russia’s Central Military District firing at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.

Sappers of the National Guard of Ukraine checks for the presence of mines along a dirt road near the abandoned positions of the Russian army in the north of the Kharkiv region on September 20

Ukrainian soldiers ride on an armored vehicle in Novostepanivka, Kharkiv region, on September 19

Plans for a series of referendums come after Ukraine humiliatingly routed Putin’s forces to the east of Kharkiv and recaptured a swathe of territory, with the despot’s allies, propagandists and political hardliners calling for an escalation amid calls for the president to resign

Analysts speculated that Russia would have difficulty mobilising its citizens to fight in Ukraine, as much of the infrastructure required to train troops was deconstructed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The news comes after four regions under Moscow’s control announced they planned to hold referendums on whether to join Russia, despite large chunks of the territory remaining either contested or under Ukrainian control.

Russian territories Luhansk and Donetsk, which initially declared independence in a move designed to justify the Kremlin’s initial invasion in February, said they will join Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia in referenda – the results of which are expected to be fraudulent.

The speech was set to take place at the same time the United Nations is meeting in New York to pledge further support to Ukraine. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said the results will not be recognised by the international community.

‘I think what was announced by Russia is a parody,’ Macon said. ‘This is cynicism, and obviously it won’t be recognized by the international community.’

Incendiary ammunition falls on the village of Ozerne in the Donetsk region in Ukraine in undated footage. Ukrainian military authorities accuse Russia for shelling the Ukrainian village Ozerne with illegal ammunition

A Ukrainian artilleryman works on a 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer in Mykolaiv region on September 19, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen work on a tank on September 20, 2022, abandoned by Russian troops during their retreat in the north of the Kharkiv region

A helmet is hung on the barrel of a rifle in the city after it was regained from Russian forces, in Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 20

Russian-installed leaders in occupied areas of the four Ukrainian regions set out plans for referendums on joining Russia on Tuesday.

‘If the Donbas referendum idea wasn’t so tragic it would be funny,’  Macron told reporters.

Sky News reported that some ballet boxes will be established in Russia rather than Ukraine.

Russian state TV said 90% of people in the four regions will join Russia, despite the Kremlin controlling only parts of those territories.

The US has also dismissed the referenda, with security adviser Jake Sullivan calling the referendums an affront to principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said President Joe Biden, at his speech on Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly, will issue a ‘firm rebuke’ to Russia for its war against Ukraine.

A view from the abandoned and damaged market area in the city after it was regained from Russian forces, in Kupiansk

Women walk past a destroyed building, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces

A statue of Ukrainian poet, writer and artist Taras Shevchenko is seen in front of the destroyed building of the Palace of Culture in the retaken city of Derhachi

The European Union also strongly condemned Russia’s plans to hold referenda in parts of Ukraine and will not recognise the results of the votes, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Tuesday.

‘Russia, its political leadership, and all those involved in these “referenda” and other violations of international law in Ukraine will be held accountable, and additional restrictive measures against Russia would be considered,’ Borrell said.

Borrell said the referenda votes cannot be considered ‘as the free expression of the will of the people’ in these regions.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin last week that now is not the time for war, and Chinese president Xi Jinping expressed questions and concerns about the situation last week when the two leaders met. 

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