Europe

ROME (AP) — Italians voted Sunday in an election that could move the country’s politics sharply toward the right during a critical time for Europe, with war in Ukraine fueling skyrocketing energy bills and testing the West’s resolve to stand united against Russian aggression.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The onset of autumnal weather, with rains making fields too muddy for tanks, is beginning to cloud Ukraine’s efforts to take back more Russian-held territory before winter freezes the battlefields, a Washington-based think tank said Sunday.

Russia, meanwhile, pressed on with its call-up of hundreds of thousands of men to throw into the seven-month war, seeking to reverse its recent losses. Without control of the skies over Ukraine, Russia is also making increasing use of suicide drones, with more strikes reported Sunday in the Black Sea port city of Odesa.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova noted that the number of meetings with the Russian delegation on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly eliminates all hints of Moscow's isolation.

LONDON, September 24. /TASS/: The European Union has to take seriously the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in an interview with BBC on Saturday.

"When people say it is not a bluff, you have to take them seriously," Borrell said commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement made on Wednesday. "Certainly it’s a dangerous moment."

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, was appointed as deputy defense minister for logistics, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

" Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev was appointed as deputy defense minister for logistics. Colonel General M. Mizintsev previously held the post of chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center," the ministry said in a statement.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 51,269 over the past day to 20,746,163, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Saturday.

A day earlier, 53,335 daily cases were recorded.

As many as 3,528 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, down 9.9% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients increased in 31 regions, while in 50 regions the figure decreased. The situation remained unchanged in four regions. A day earlier, 3,915 people were rushed to hospitals.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of greetings to participants, hosts and guests of an international forum on Christianity in the Caucasus marking the 1,100th anniversary of the Christianization of Alania, according to a telegram published on the Kremlin website on Saturday.

MOSCOW, Sept 24 (Reuters) - More than 730 people were detained across Russia at protests against a mobilisation order on Saturday, a rights group said, three days after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's first military draft since World War Two for the conflict in Ukraine.

The independent OVD-Info protest monitoring group said it was aware of detentions in 32 different cities, from St Petersburg to Siberia.

Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russian law, which also forbids any activity considered to defame the armed forces.

Sept 23 (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Friday it would downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran over Tehran's decision to supply Russian forces with drones, a move President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "a collaboration with evil".

Zelenskiy said a total of eight Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles had been shot down so far in the conflict.

Ukraine and the United States accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia, a charge Tehran denies.

ROME, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin was "pushed" into invading Ukraine and wanted to put "decent people" in charge of Kyiv, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has said, drawing fierce criticism just ahead of Italy's election.

The Italian leader, whose Forza Italia party belongs to a right-wing coalition expected to win Sunday's parliamentary election on Sunday, is a long-time friend of Putin and his comments are likely to alarm Western allies.