hello and welcome. many russian citizens are trying to flee the country to escape the military mobilisation announced vladimir putin. tickets for direct flights between russia and serbia have sold out and there are long queues on other border crossings. they are holding referendums in one of four contested areas on whether they want to join the russian federation. the west describes these as a sham. this isjohn kirby. we believe that these will be sham referenda, they will not be legitimate and they will not be free orfairand they are preordained to allow mr putin to say, look, this is russian territory and now, ukrainian attacks are on the motherland, not on ukrainian territory, which is, of course, not true. and as you heard jake sullivan, our national security adviser, say yesterday, we are not going to recognise that and so many other nations around the world aren t going to recognise that. this is nothing more than a ploy by vladimir putin to try to gain, through some
worries russian activists already a ball rolled. he worries russian activists already a ball rolled. he is a war and he already a ball rolled. he is a war and he is already a ball rolled. he is a war and he is killing - already a ball rolled. he is a war and he is killing people. but how can russians inside russia stop putin? it is impossible. so he really should be defeated in ukraine. his bi est be defeated in ukraine. his biggest whitaker still condemning warfrom prison. not only this week called it the bloodied crime of a man clinging to power. his team are in lithuania and they argue the key to stopping this war is more western pressure on russian officials, from judges to state journalists. fiur russian officials, from udges to state journalists. to state ournalists. our hope is that to state journalists. our hope is that sanctioning to state journalists. our hope is that sanctioning all- to state journalists. our hope is that sanctioning all those l is that sanctioning