Germany's navy is contributing to the investigation into the Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks, the defence minister says.

Christine Lambrecht said that the situation must be clarified and those responsible must be identified quickly.

"The presumed sabotage of the Baltic Sea pipelines is yet another reminder that we are dependent on critical infrastructure, underwater too," Lambrecht said in a statement.

Danish Defence Minister Morten Bodskov said that "it can easily take one or two weeks for the area to calm down enough" for an inspection to verify the cause. Two Danish military vessels have been sent to the area.

Seismologists say that measuring stations in neighbouring countries detected two blasts on Monday from the area where the gas leaks subsequently emerged.

Ukraine has accused Russia of being behind what it described as a “terrorist attack” - without giving proof - while Moscow has called such accusations "stupid and "absurd".

Image source, .

Image source, EPA

The pro-Moscow leader of Ukraine's breakaway region of Luhansk has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to annex the territory following a referendum.

"Taking into account the fact that the population of the republic approved the decision in the referendum, I ask you to consider the issue of Luhansk People's Republic becoming a part of Russia as a subject of the Russian Federation," separatist leader Leonid Pasechnik said.

Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed leader of Ukraine's Kherson region, made a similar appeal soon after.

Voting in the four so-called referendums - labelled a sham by Ukraine and the West - concluded on Tuesday and Putin could announce the annexation of the occupied regions this week.

Pro-Russian officials claim the overwhelming majority of people had voted to join Russia. In Donetsk, the result was said to be more than 99% in favour.

Image source, .

The Kremlin says it is "stupid and absurd" to conclude that Russia was behind gas leaks on the Nord Stream pipelines to Europe.

The European Union has said the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Europe were caused by sabotage - but did not directly accuse Russia.

Ukraine has gone further, accusing Russia of a "terrorist attack".

"It's quite predictable and also predictably stupid to give voice to these kinds of narratives - predictably stupid and absurd," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"This is a big problem for us because, firstly, both lines of Nord Stream 2 are filled with gas - the entire system is ready to pump gas and the gas is very expensive... Now the gas is flying off into the air," he said.

People should wait for findings from an investigation before drawing conclusions, Peskov added.

Italy's new right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni has pledged her support for Ukraine in a message to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"You know that you can count on our loyal support for the cause of freedom of Ukrainian people. Stay strong and keep your faith steadfast!" Meloni tweeted in English late on Tuesday.

She was responding to a message sent by Zelensky congratulating her on her Brothers of Italy party's historic victory in general elections on Sunday.

"We appreciated Italy's constant support for Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. We are counting on a productive partnership with the new Italian government," he had tweeted in Italian.

Outgoing Italian PM Mario Draghi has been one of the strongest backers of EU sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.

There have been concerns over the new government's stance on the war due to Meloni's coalition with Silvio Berlusconi of the centre-right Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's far-right League party.

Berlusconi is a long-term friend of Vladimir Putin and has defended the invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia's leader was "pushed" into the conflict, while Salvini has voiced support for the Russian president in the past.

Image source, EPA

Ukraine will defend citizens in Russian-occupied regions as Moscow edges closer to annexing them, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

"We will act to protect our people: both in the Kherson region, in the Zaporizhzhia region, in the Donbas, in the currently occupied areas of the Kharkiv region, and in the Crimea," he said in a video posted on Telegram.

"This farce in the occupied territory cannot even be called an imitation of referendums," he said.

There are concerns the annexation of the four territories might lead to a worsening of the situation, as Moscow has threatened the use of more lethal weapons if the areas are targeted in the future.

Ukraine will not be able to negotiate with Russia after the so-called referendums, Zelensky told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Zelensky said that "there is nothing to talk about" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"In front of the eyes of the whole world, Russia is conducting an outright farce called a 'referendum' on the occupied territory of Ukraine," he said.

"People are forced to fill out some papers for a TV picture under the muzzles of machine guns.

"The figures of the alleged results of the pseudo-referendum were drawn in advance," he said.

Abdujalil Abdurasulov
Reporting from Kherson

Front line positions here come under regular fire as both Russia and Ukraine attempt to push forward.

Ukrainian soldiers walk across the vast field under the cover of a line of trees. They pay no attention to the sound of missiles flying above their head nor the thud of explosions. The fighters say a Russian observation post is 500m away and they might be within the range of small arms.

The Ukrainians move quickly to reach a destroyed farm building that they took back just a week ago. Now, they are digging trenches and carrying sandbags in order to fortify their new position.

But Ukraine's advancement in the south is moving slowly. All talk about counter-offensive here helps to deceive Russians and achieve gains in the east, laughs Vasyl, a deputy commander of the regiment.

"But we have some success here as well. We continue liberating villages with small steps but it's very difficult - every victory we have is covered with blood," he adds.

Read Abdujalil Abdurasulov's full report from the Ukrainian front line in Kherson here.

Image source, Danish Defence

The European Union has said leaks in two major gas pipelines from Russia to Europe were caused by sabotage - but stopped short of directly accusing Russia.

Deliberate disruption would result in the "strongest possible response", said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Ukraine has gone further, accusing Russia of a "terrorist attack".

The EU has previously accused Russia of using gas supplies, and the Nord Stream pipelines, as a weapon against the West.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he thought the leaks would "not have a significant impact on Europe's energy resilience". Neither pipeline is transporting gas at the moment, although they both contain gas.

Read our full report here.

Moscow-installed officials in the regions where the votes were held are now claiming almost total support among those who took part in the disputed votes on joining Russia.

The polls were denounced as a sham by Ukraine's government and its allies, and in the absence of international recognition, the process was not monitored independently.

The votes were held in the breakaway eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as in Russian-occupied parts of the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Refugees scattered across Russia were also able to vote at dozens of polling stations, including in Crimea, a southern Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Partial results from voting there indicated huge majorities in favour of joining Russia.

News agencies run by the pro-Kremlin administrations in Donetsk and Luhansk are reporting that up to 99.23% of people voted in favour of joining Russia.

As the BBC's Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse says, the results of the four votes will be of little surprise to anyone, least of all Ukraine.

Read more here.

Image source, Reuters

We're restarting our live coverage of the Ukraine war - thank you for joining us.

Here's a look at the latest developments:

• The EU said it will impose sanctions on organisers of "illegal" votes in four occupied regions of Ukraine on whether they should join Russia
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to protect people in the occupied regions
• The vote - labelled a sham by Western governments - concluded on Tuesday and Russian President Vladimir Putin could announce the annexation of the occupied regions this week
• Pro-Russian officials claim the overwhelming majority of people had voted to join Russia. In Donetsk, the result was said to be more than 99% in favour

• The head of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, has warned of the strongest possible consequences if it emerges that sabotage is behind the gas leaks found in two major Russian pipelines under the Baltic Sea
• Ukraine has accused Russia of being behind what it described as a “terrorist attack” - without giving proof

Image source, Reuters

We're pausing our live coverage for the day. Here's a final look at the latest developments in the war:

• Today marked the end of voting in so-called referendums concerning the future of four occupied regions of Ukraine. The ballots have been labelled a sham by Ukraine and the West
• Vladimir Putin could announce the annexation of occupied regions within days, the UK's defence ministry said
• Denmark and Poland say gas leaks from the Russian-controlled pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the Baltic Sea appear to be deliberate acts
• Ukraine said Moscow was responsible for the leaks, while the Kremlin said it had not ruled out sabotage as a cause

If you'd like to read more detail on what's happened today in Ukraine, please read our full round-up here.

Thank you for following our coverage.

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Brussels

EU ambassadors are expected to discuss the leaks in two major gas pipelines Nordstream 1 and 2 at a meeting on Wednesday.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels say the issue has been added to tomorrow’s agenda.

Image source, EPA

Sweden's Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, has been talking to reporters this evening following what she described as "blasts" at the pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Monday.

"We have Swedish intelligence, but we have also received information in our contacts with Denmark, and based on this, concluded that this is probably a deliberate act. It is probably a matter of sabotage," she said in comments reported by Reuters.

"It is not a matter of an attack on Swedish or Danish territory. But that said, the government is taking what happened very seriously, not least in light of the current security situation [in] close proximity," she added.

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The very early results of four self-styled referendums in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories will be of little surprise to anyone, least of all to Ukraine.

The reported votes so far, in favour of those regions joining Russia, are a continuation of the Kremlin’s narrative of trying to “liberate” Ukrainians in those areas - as well as its attempts to legitimise its presence in the country.

Ukraine and the West have discredited the process, and the BBC has heard evidence of armed soldiers collecting votes door-to-door, as well claims of voting not being held at all.

Russia is expected to draft quick, new laws around the annexation of these four contested territories, and has threatened the use of more lethal weapons if they are targeted in the future.

What Kyiv has always said is that its objectives have not changed, regardless of the statements (and now results) which come from Moscow.

Image source, EPA

Back now to the drafting of Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin, speaking earlier, said farmers were among the hundreds of thousands of reservists to be called up.

In a televised address, Putin said the families of agricultural workers should be "supported", calling on farming bosses to pay "special attention to this issue".

Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter with autumn being a busy season for farmers as they sow winter wheat for the next year's crop and harvest soybeans and sunflower seeds.

Sowing of winter grain has already been significantly delayed by rains.

As we've been reporting, leaks have been detected in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines that go from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Now Denmark's PM Mette Frederiksen says the leaks detected in the pipelines have not been caused accidentally.

"It is now the clear assessment by authorities that these are deliberate actions. It was not an accident," she told journalists.

"There is no information yet to indicate who may be behind this action," she added.

The pipelines are not operational, but full of gas.

Danish Climate and Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said he expected the leaks to last "at least a week" - until the methane escaping from the underwater pipes runs out, the AFP news agency reports.

Maritime authorities have told shipping to avoid an area with a radius of five nautical miles around the leaks, off Denmark's Bornholm island, due to the risk of ships losing buoyancy or the gas igniting above the surface.

Read more on the gas leaks here.

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Drone footage taken on Monday shows massive queues of vehicles waiting at the Russian side of the Russian-Georgian border.

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilisation" of reservists to join the war in Ukraine, with some 300,000 set to be called up.

Since then, thousands of Russian citizens have been seen fleeing to neighbouring countries, including Georgia and Kazakhstan.

Georgia is one of the few neighbouring countries that Russians can enter without needing to apply for a visa.

Image source, Getty Images

The site of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was hit by new shelling and explosions this week, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says.

UN experts present at the plant reported two explosions today near a channel that carries water from a reservoir to the plant for its cooling system, an essential element for nuclear safety.

There was no damage to plant structures and equipment, but windows in the turbine hall of a reactor were broken, the IAEA experts said.

On Monday, shelling took place near the facility’s electrical switchyard, but there were no reports of damage. Other explosions were heard further away.

The cause of the blasts are being investigated.

The agency's director Rafael Grossi said the incidents show that the situation remained precarious and that immediate action was needed to reduce the risk of a major accident at the plant, which is held by Russian troops.

Image source, .

Image source, Reuters

Just joining us? Here's a round-up of the latest developments in the war:

• So-called referendums concerning the future of four occupied regions of Ukraine have come to a close after five days
• The "votes" were labelled a "blatant violation of international law" by the head of Nato and a sham by Kyiv and its Western allies

• Russia said partial results from citizens of the four regions who voted in Russia show those people overwhelmingly back a move for those regions to join Russia
• Russian President Vladimir Putin could announce the annexation of occupied regions within days, the UK's defence ministry said earlier

• Two leaks have been found on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, Sweden said, a day after a similar leak was found on its sister pipeline. Neither was in use
• Seismologists in Sweden say they registered blasts in the area; Ukraine has accused Moscow of an attack. The Kremlin earlier said it had not ruled out sabotage as a cause, calling the damage "unprecedented"
• Figures from the European Union's border agency have shown a 30% increase in Russians entering the bloc since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation last week

Hugo Bachega
Reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

The preliminary numbers surprise no-one.

Russia and its proxies pictured the so-called referendums as a free and fair process, and claimed that people in occupied areas of Ukraine were being given an opportunity to express their views.

Few believed that. Ukraine and many other countries had dismissed the process as a farce, saying the result had already been decided by the Kremlin to be used as an excuse for a land grab.

Now, the attention turns to Moscow, which is believed to be preparing to formally announce the annexation of the occupied areas, possibly in the coming days.

Any declaration will be rejected internationally and trigger what the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, described as a “tough reaction” that will likely include more Western sanctions.

Ukraine has said the discredited vote is meaningless, and that it will continue with its offensive to take back occupied land.

The process was held in four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south – that represent 15% of the country’s area.

Russia could argue that any attack on those regions would be considered an attack on Russia itself.

Image source, Getty Images

The Russian parliament could consider the annexation of four occupied regions of Ukraine as early as next week, according to the speaker of the upper house.

Valentina Matviyenko says lawmakers could meet to consider the move on 4 October, if the results of so-called "referendums" are favourable.

Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, have been asked to vote on whether to join Russia - in polls denounced as a sham by the international community.