Fighting continued during the last day of the referendums held in the occupied Ukrainian territories. Moscow is expected to announce the results as early as September 27 and by October 1 the State Duma will formally announce the annexation of the occupied regions, the Institute for the Study of War - ISW, has reported.

At the cost of many casualties, Russian units continue to persistently attack Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region. In other sections along the 1000-kilometer front, the Ukrainian army is trying to carry out an offensive, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also pointed out that heavy fighting was taking place in the Donetsk region and said that the Russian advance there would go down in military history as an example of the most cynical sacrifice of soldiers. According to Zelensky, the mobilization announced in Russia "is an attempt to ensure a constant flow of cannon fodder" for Russian commanders.