TOP HEADLINES

· Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for residents of Russian-controlled areas conscripted into the Russian army to save their own lives and "help liberate Ukraine." READ MORE BELOW

· With Russia launching referendums in the four occupied regions of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said soldiers have banned people from leaving some areas until the four-day vote was over, armed groups were going into homes, and employees were threatened with the sack if they did not participate.

· U.S. President Joe Biden said the Russian referendums are a "sham," adding that Washington "will never recognize Ukrainian territory as anything other than part of Ukraine."

· The leaders of the Group of Seven leading industrial democracies condemned the referendums, saying it was an attempt by Moscow to create a "phony" pretext for changing the status of Ukraine's sovereign territory. "We will never recognize these referenda which appear to be step toward Russian annexation and we will never recognize purported annexation if it occurs," they wrote in a joint statement sent by the German government spokesperson.

· Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has revealed he met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss a Mexican peace plan for the Ukraine conflict that he presented to the UN General Assembly this week. Mexico has proposed a deal to halt the fighting but Ukraine opposes the plan.

· Ukraine said it had downed four Iranian-made "kamikaze" drones used by Russia's armed forces, prompting Zelenskyy to complain that Tehran was harming Ukrainian citizens.

· Russia is planning to spend a total of 34 trillion roubles ($600 billion) on national defense, security and law enforcement between 2022 and 2025 under its latest expenditure plan, according to a source.

· A U.S. envoy said that Russia may have forcibly deported between 900,000-1.6 million Ukrainians, citing unnamed sources, and called for a UN-mandated commission of inquiry to investigate.

· Diplomatic efforts by French President Emmanuel Macron in response to the Ukrainian conflict were a failure and "deeply harmful" for Kyiv, according to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former NATO secretary-general.

· Russia struck the Pechenihy dam on the Siverskyi Donets River in northeast Ukraine this week using short-range ballistic missiles or similar weapons, according to the UK military. Russian commanders may be attempting to strike sluice gates of the dams to flood Ukrainian military crossing points, the ministry said.

IN DETAIL

Zelenskyy wants help to 'destroy occupiers'

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged residents of Russian-controlled areas conscripted into the Russian army to help in the conflict.

In his nightly address on the day Russia launched referendums, Zelenskyy said: "Do the main thing - save your lives and help us weaken and destroy the occupiers. Hide from the Russian mobilization by any means. Avoid conscription letters.

"Try to get to the free territory of Ukraine. But if you already get into the Russian army, then sabotage any activity of the enemy, hinder any Russian operations, and provide us with any important information about the occupiers - their bases, headquarters, warehouses with ammunition. 

"And at the first opportunity, switch to our positions. Do everything to save your life and help liberate Ukraine."

Zelenskyy added that the votes in the referendum would be "unequivocally condemned" by the world, along with the mobilization Russia began this week, including in Crimea and other areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia.

"These are not just crimes against international law and Ukrainian law, these are crimes against specific people, against a nation," Zelenskyy said.