Ukraine war: New EU sanctions will ‘make Kremlin pay’ for ‘sham referendums’

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has today unveiled a fresh wave of Russia sanctions, designed “to make the Kremlin pay” for escalating the conflict in Ukraine following “sham” votes in occupied territory.

“We do not accept the sham referenda and any kind of annexation in Ukraine, and we are determined to make the Kremlin pay for this further escalation,” she told reporters in Brussels.

The proposed eighth sanctions package includes further import bans on Russian products, expected to deprive Moscow of an additional 7 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in revenues.

Elsewhere, the Kremlin has said claims that Russia is behind the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines are “stupid and absurd” after EU officials called the damage an “act of sabotage”.

“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 after Ukraine said the leaks were a “terrorist attack” by Moscow.

Key Points

• Huge explosions detected close to Russian gas pipeline after leaks caused by ‘sabotage’

• Russia claims victory in Ukraine ‘sham referendums’

• Newly mobilised reservists begin training in Kaliningrad, says Russia

• Russia steps up defence as Ukraine’s offensive strengthens

• EU chief vows retaliation is gas pipeline damage is sabotage

• Kremlin says claims Russia is behind Nord Stream leak are ‘stupid'

• Fresh EU sanctions will “make Kremlin pay” for escalating in Ukraine, von der Leyen says

04:46 , Arpan Rai

Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Wednesday, 28 September.

Huge explosions detected close to Russian gas pipeline after leaks caused by ‘sabotage’

05:10 , Arpan Rai

Seismologists recorded powerful underwater explosions in Denmark and Sweden before the discovery of gas leaks in major Russian gas pipelines to Europe.

The announcement of the explosions came after Denmark’s prime minister claimed the leaks may have been caused by sabotage.

“There is no doubt that these were explosions,” Bjorn Lund, a seismologist at Sweden’s National Seismology Centre told SVT.

If the explosions are linked to sabotaged leaks, it could dramatically escalate European concerns over the supply of Russian energy to the continent, which many nations remain reliant on despite a scramble to find other sources since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Read the full story here:

Explosions detected close to Russian gas pipeline after leaks caused by ‘sabotage’

Russia claims victory in Ukraine ‘sham referendums’

05:24 , Arpan Rai

Three parts of occupied Ukrainian territory have chosen to join Russia, local pro-Kremlin officials in the regions announced, after five days of voting that Kyiv and the west condemned as “sham referendums”.

Moscow-backed separatists said on Tuesday that 93 per cent of ballots in Zaporizhzhia were cast in favour of Russian annexation.

The counts in the southern Kherson region and the eastern Luhansk region were similarly one-sided, they claimed.

Voting started in the provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia last Thursday, shortly after a series of humiliating military setbacks for Moscow.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has recaptured thousands of square kilometres of land, most notably in the northeast regions of Kharkiv - representing a major shift in the course of the war.

Read the full story here:

Russia claims victory in Ukraine ‘sham referendums’

Men try to flee to Georgia to avoid Russian mobilisation

05:43 , Arpan Rai

Private cars swarmed the Verkhny Lars border crossing in Georgia where Russian men are reaching to escape Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation order.

A line of private vehicles leaving the country in an attempt to gain access to Georgia and Mongolia, where visas are not required for entry, has stretched more than 10 miles.

“With this mobilisation, it’s just becoming a bigger, large-scale war that is totally not justified. It wasn’t justified before and it’s not justified now. And it won’t come to anything good,” said Misha, one such man entering Georgia.

Watch the full video here:

Men try to flee to Georgia to avoid Russian mobilisation

Canada to slap new sanctions on Russia over ‘sham’ referendums in Ukraine

06:13 , Arpan Rai

Justin Trudeau has said he intends to roll out new sanctions over Russia’s “sham” referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine.

“Canada does not and will not ever recognize the results of these sham referendums or Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories,” the Canadian prime minister said in a statement.

Newly mobilised reservists begin training in Kaliningrad, says Russia

06:53 , Arpan Rai

The newly mobilised reservists by Russia have started their combat training at the base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, Moscow’s defence ministry said today.

“All mobilised military personnel comply with the standards for shooting from small arms. In addition, citizens called up from the reserve restore their skills in the operation and maintenance of weapons, military and special equipment,” the ministry said on its Telegram channel.

The troops will be taught how to increase firing skills in the course and prepared for “confident actions on the battlefield”.

A Russian Baltic coast enclave enveloped between Nato and European Union members Poland and Lithuania, Kaliningrad is a base with significant Russian military presence.

It also has Russia’s nuclear-capable missiles, its Baltic fleet and tens of thousands of soldiers.

US, allies scale up intelligence after Putin's nuclear threats

07:07 , Arpan Rai

The US and its allied intelligence agencies have bolstered their efforts to track any Russian military moves indicating the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, reported Politico citing five current and former US officials.

The officials are mobilising additional US and allied intelligence assets in the air, space and cyberspace, and relying heavily on commercial satellites to analyse Russian units in the field that might be in position to receive a nuclear strike order, one of the officials said.

Italy's Meloni tells Ukraine it can count on her

07:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nationalist leader Giorgia Meloni, set to become Italy’s next prime minister, has pledged her full support for Kyiv after receiving congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for her election victory.

In a Tweet late on Tuesday, a day after Meloni and her right-wing allies won a commanding parliamentary majority, Zelensky said he was looking forward to “fruitful cooperation with the new government”.

Meloni replied swiftly. “Dear (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!” she wrote in English on Twitter.

Meloni has been one of the few Italian political leaders to wholeheartedly endorse outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s decision to ship weapons to Ukraine, even though she was in opposition to his government.

By contrast, Meloni’s two political allies, the League and Forza Italia, which were both in Draghi’s coalition, have been much more ambivalent, reflecting their historically close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Underscoring the depth of those ties, Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi said last week that Putin had been “pushed” into invading Ukraine and had wanted to put “decent people” in charge of Kyiv.

Latest defence intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine

07:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia is mounting a more substantive defence than previously while heavy fighting continues in Kherson, according to the latest update by the British ministry of defence.

It said the stronger defence by Moscow is “likely because the Ukrainian advance now threatens parts of Luhansk Oblast as voting in the referendum on accession to the Russian Federation closes”.

Nearly 100,000 Russians cross into Kazakhstan after Putin’s mobilisation order

08:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nearly 100,000 Russians have fled into neighbouring Kazakhstan following Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation order, government officials in Astana claim.

Kazakhstan said it is struggling to accommodate the tens of thousands of Russians who have fled their homeland since Moscow announced a military mobilisation last week, but will attempt to deal with what it called a “humanitarian matter”.

Russian men, some with families, started crossing the world’s second-longest land border en masse last week after President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a call-up, say officials.

My colleague Thomas Kingsley has more:

Nearly 100,000 Russians cross into Kazakhstan after Putin’s mobilisation order

Zelensky denounces ‘sham referendums’ and vows to liberate Moscow-occupied territories

08:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Russia’s “sham referendums” in the Moscow-occupied territories, calling them a “farce”.

“This farce in the occupied territories cannot even be called an imitation of a referendum,” he said in his nightly address.

He added that Ukraine would defend its people still living under occupation in the four areas where votes were held - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions -- and in parts of Kharkiv region still under occupation.

The president also said there would soon be good news from the front, but offered no details for the moment. “We are advancing and will liberate our land,” he said.

Speaking to the UN via a video link, Zelensky also made a call for a new wave of tougher sanctions on Russia following the referendums.

Ukraine says it will 'never agree to Russian ultimatums'

09:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russian-staged votes in four Ukrainian regions on becoming part of Russia were “null and worthless”, and that Kyiv would press on with efforts to liberate Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.

Urging its international partners to impose tough new sanctions on Moscow and provide Kyiv with more military aid, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement: “Ukraine will never agree to any ultimatums.”

EU chief vows retaliation is gas pipeline damage is sabotage

09:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

European Union officials suspect that damage to two underwater natural gas pipelines was sabotage and are warning of retaliation for any attack on Europe’s energy networks.

In a statement on behalf of all 27 member states, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act.

“Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.”

Seismologists reported on Tuesday that explosions rattled the Baltic Sea before unusual leaks were discovered on two underwater natural gas pipelines running from Russia to Germany.

Ukraine-Russia war: What is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and how might the crisis impact it?

10:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Nord Stream 2 is a 745-mile pipeline stretching between Ust-Luga near western Russia’s border with Estonia and Greifswald in northeastern Germany, intended for the delivery of natural gas to central Europe via the Baltic Sea.

Construction on the project was completed in September 2021 at a cost of £8.3bn but it has yet to receive the necessary European regulatory approval to permit its operator, the Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom, to turn on the taps.

That may now never happen, after German chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the pipeline would be blocked in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday 24 February.

My colleague Joe Sommerlad reports:

What is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and how might the Ukraine-Russia crisis impact it?

Denmark's defence minister concerned about security in Baltic Sea region

10:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Denmark’s defence minister said today there is reason to be concerned about the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, highlighting the suspected sabotage on the two Nord Stream pipelines as the latest example.

“Russia has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region and we expect them to continue their sabre-rattling,” Morten Bodskov said in a statement following a meeting with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.

Russians recruited to fight in Ukraine told to use tampons to treat bullet wounds

11:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian reservists being called up to fight in Ukraine are reportedly being told to take tampons and sanitary pads to use as bandages because the army is running out of first aid supplies.

A video widely shared on social media platform Telegram shows a military officer shouting at a crowd of draftees telling them they are responsible for their own first aid kits.

“Take sleeping bags with you. You will have to sleep where you have to,” says the officer.

My colleague Sravasti Dasgupta has more:

Russians recruited to fight in Ukraine told to use tampons to treat bullet wounds

Kremlin says claims Russia is behind Nord Stream leak are ‘stupid'

11:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said claims Russia was somehow behind the attacks were stupid and that Moscow saw a sharp increase in the profits of U.S. companies supplying gas to Europe.

“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 after Ukraine said the leaks were a “terrorist attack” by Moscow.

Kremlin says military campaign in Ukraine to continue at least until it controls all Donetsk region

11:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin today said that the “special military operation” in Ukraine must continue until Russia takes full control of east Ukraine‘s Donetsk region.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the military campaign in Ukraine would continue “at a minimum” until the “liberation” of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”, referring to the region’s Russian-backed administration.

‘Highly suspicious’: Europe warns of retaliation for ‘sabotage’ of Nord Stream gas pipeline

12:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The EU has urgently cranked up security and warned of retaliation following the “highly suspicious” damage to the Nord Stream underwater pipelines.

A Western official said the leaks in the gas pipeline were a very serious development, but a full investigation is needed to establish what happened.

“On the pipelines, clearly, this looks very serious. The multiple explosions at the same time - it’s very serious, and is going to have to be investigated,” the Western official said, on condition of anonymity.

Read more here:

‘Highly suspicious’: Europe warns of retaliation for ‘sabotage’ of gas pipeline

Western official: Leaks in Nord Stream pipelines very serious, highly suspicious

12:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Europe are a very serious development and highly suspicious, but a full investigation is needed to establish what happened, a Western official said on Wednesday.

The official did not blame Russia for the leaks but said President Vladimir Putin should undo his recent series of escalations over the invasion of Ukraine, especially nuclear rhetoric the official said was “deeply irresponsible”.

Europe is investigating the cause of major leaks into the Baltic Sea from two Russian gas pipelines at the centre of an energy standoff with Moscow. Poland’s prime minister said it was an act of sabotage linked to Russia‘s escalation of the situation in Ukraine.

“On the pipelines, clearly, this looks very serious. The multiple explosions at the same time - it’s very serious, and is going to have to be investigated,” the Western official said, on condition of anonymity.

“It definitely looks highly suspicious, but I think we need to establish the facts and then attribute.”

The Western official said the heightened nuclear rhetoric might be a sign of Putin’s panic and his possible realisation that invading Ukraine was a mistake, warning that if he used such weapons there would be unspecified severe consequences.

The official called on Russia, as a member of the U.N. Security council, to stop using “deeply irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric, and de-escalate the crisis.

“We are not going to be deterred from supporting Ukraine in defending its own territory,” the official said. “(Russia) needs to pull back from this. And of course, there will be really severe consequences if they crossed this reddest of red lines.”

Russian asked Denmark for information on Nord Stream damage

13:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian embassy in Denmark said on Wednesday that Russia had asked Copenhagen to provide information about damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines as soon as it became known, Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported.

Leaks in the pipelines were detected on Monday after they burst in several locations in Danish and Swedish waters. The European Union and NATO have blamed the incidents on sabotage.

Russian-installed officials ask Putin to annex Ukrainian regions

13:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian-installed administrators of Ukraine‘s Luhansk and Kherson regions have formally asked President Vladimir Putin to incorporate them into Russia, following hastily organised referendums that Ukraine and the West denounced as illegitimate.

Russian-installed officials in four occupied regions of Ukraine reported huge majorities in favour of joining Russia.

Western countries said the votes were a coercive exercise to provide a pretext for Russia to annex around 15% of Ukrainian territory, and threatened new sanctions against Moscow if annexation plans went ahead.

Vote tallies from complete results on Tuesday in the four provinces ranged from 87% to 99.2% in favour of joining Russia, according to officials.

In a letter published on his Telegram account, Vladimir Saldo - the Russian-installed head of Ukraine‘s Kherson region - said residents had made “a historic choice” in favour of Russia.

If Russia declares the four Ukrainian regions part of its territory, Putin could portray any Ukrainian attempt to recapture them as an attack on Russia itself, justifying a potentially harsher military response.

Russia says it intervened in Ukraine in part to protect Russian-speakers living in the eastern Donbas region, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, from persecution.

Kyiv and the West reject this as a baseless pretext for a wider war of aggression.

Pro-Moscow separatists urge Putin to announce annexation of Ukraine regions

14:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Pro-Moscow officials in occupied regions of Ukraine have asked Vladimir Putin to incorporate their provinces into Russia after initial “results” in referendums apparently showed a large majority of people wanted to break with Kyiv.

Officials in parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, made the plea to the Russian president on Wednesday.

The votes and the results have been derided as a “sham” by those in the West and say they will not be recognised.

Putin is expected to formalise the move to annex the regions by the end of the week.

Read more here:

Pro-Moscow separatists urge Putin to announce annexation of Ukraine regions

Germany does not accept “sham” referendums, Scholz tells Zelensky

14:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

German chancellor Olaf Scholz told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in a call today that Germany would never accept the results of “sham” referendums on joining Russia in occupied regions of Ukraine, a German government spokesperson said.

Scholz also said Germany’s financial, political and humanitarian support for Ukraine would not waver and it would continue to back Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including weapons deliveries, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Fresh EU sanctions will “make Kremlin pay” for escalating in Ukraine, von der Leyen says

15:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen today proposed a new package of Russia sanctions, designed “to make the Kremlin pay” for escalating the conflict in Ukraine with what she called “sham” votes in occupied territory.

“We do not accept the sham referenda and any kind of annexation in Ukraine, and we are determined to make the Kremlin pay for this further escalation,” she told reporters in Brussels.

The proposed eighth sanctions package includes further import bans on Russian products, expected to deprive Moscow of an additional 7 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in revenues, and more export bans on key technology used for the military such as aviation items, electronic components and specific chemical substances, von der Leyen announced.

Beyond this, the sanctions package will lay the legal basis for an oil price cap and ban EU citizens from sitting on governing bodies of Russian state-owned companies, she said.

G7 ‘agreed in principle’ to introduce price cap on Russian oil for developing countries- von der Leyen

15:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, today said that the G7 has ‘agreed in principle’ to introduce a price cap on Russian oil for developing countries.

Russia: action to be taken soon to meet aspirations of Ukrainian regions

16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s foreign ministry said today that action would be taken soon to meet the aspirations of four occupied regions to become part of Russia, a day after the completion of what Ukraine and the West said were illegal sham referendums.

In a statement, the ministry said the votes in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were held in compliance with international law.

EU's Borrell urges international community not to recognise "sham" referendums

16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged the international community on Wednesday not to recognise the “sham” referendums held by Russia in occupied Ukraine as the bloc proposed further sanctions against Moscow.

“With the illegal referenda organised by Russia, the Kremlin is following the same playbook that we have already seen in Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014,” Borrell said in a statement, adding they were violations of international law and the principles of the United Nations charter.

Borrell said the European Union was increasing its list of persons and entities facing sanctions.

At least 260,000 Russians have fled since Putin’s military call-up, Western officials believe

17:10 , Jane Dalton

More than 260,000 Russians have fled since Vladimir Putin announced partial military mobilisation following serious battlefield defeats in Ukraine, according to Western officials and the country’s independent media.

Some estimates now put the number who have gone into exile since the invasion in February at 400,000. The flow is expected to continue, especially from Russian Federation republics in central Asia where, locals complain, a disproportionate number of people have been called up.

The exodus is adding to economic problems caused by international sanctions, Western officials say, with the loss of skilled and educated Russians who are unlikely to return in the short term and who are instead seeking to take their families abroad to join them.

Our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta reports:

At least 260,000 Russians have fled since Putin’s call-up, Western officials say

US says Americans should leave Russia over conscription fears

17:40 , Jane Dalton

All Americans remaining in Russia should get out immediately amid fears that dual nationals could be conscripted into fighting against Ukraine, the US has said:

US says Americans should leave Russia immediately amid conscription for Ukraine

Gas pipelines forecast to be empty by Sunday

18:15 , Jane Dalton

More than half the gas in the damaged Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines has left the pipes and the remaining volume is expected to be gone by Sunday, Danish energy chiefs say.

Leaks in the pipelines were detected on Monday after they burst in several locations in Danish and Swedish waters. The European Union and Nato have blamed sabotage.

Danish police are working with police in Sweden and Germany to investigate, Copenhagen police chief Anne Tonnes said.

The pipelines contained a total of 778 million cubic metres of natural gas, which corresponds to 32 per cent of Denmark’s annual CO2 equivalent emissions, the Energy Agency said.

Belarusian opposition leader: UK must lead fight against tyranny

18:50 , Jane Dalton

The UK must continue to lead the global fight against tyranny and oppression, the Belarusian opposition leader has told the Labour Party conference:

Belarusian opposition leader: UK must continue to lead fight against tyranny

US plans more sanctions on Russia

19:20 , Jane Dalton

The United States is working with allies and partners to quickly impose severe economic costs on Moscow over Russia’s “sham” referendums, according to the State Department.

James O’Brien said he expects the Biden administration’s pace of announcing sanctions on Russia on average every six weeks will continue, as Washington continues to focus on choke points in the Russian economy and its military supply chains.

“There will be more packages. We are working on more sanctions,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Everything is on the table,” he said, adding that Washington would look to the financial sector and high technology, especially for energy exploitation and human rights violators.

We’ll reclaim referendum areas, vows Ukraine adviser

19:50 , Jane Dalton

Ukraine is determined to reclaim territory that Russia is likely to annex following stage-managed voting in occupied areas, an adviser to Ukraine‘s president said.Mykhailo Podolyak said his country took seriously Moscow’s threats to use nuclear weapons in the war.

He insisted nothing would change on the battlefield if Russia moved to incorporate four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine in the coming days, as is widely expected.“We will liberate our territory by military means,” Mr Podolyak told the Associated Press in Kyiv. “And for us, our actions depend not so much on what the Russian Federation thinks or wants, but on the military capabilities that Ukraine has.”

Europe suspects Russia behind gas blasts

20:20 , Jane Dalton

The EU has urgently cranked up security and warned of retaliation following the “highly suspicious” damage to the Nord Stream underwater pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Although no officials have publicly blamed Russia for the explosions, one Western official said the leaks in the gas were a very serious development and suspicions were that Moscow was behind the attack.

Europe suspects Russia behind gas blasts as Moscow blames ‘international terrorism’

‘Huge majorities’ vote to join Russia in Moscow-occupied provinces

20:42 , Jane Dalton

Final results of referendums in four occupied regions of Ukraine showed huge majorities in favour of joining Russia, Russian-installed officials claimed.

There was no surprise among leaders in Kyiv and the West, who regard the referendums as illegal shams.

The Russian-installed leaders of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces have formally asked Vladimir Putin to incorporate their territories into Russia.

The head of the upper house of the Russian parliament said it could consider the incorporation of the four regions on 4 October, three days before Putin’s 70th birthday.

The United States will introduce a resolution at the United Nations Security Council condemning the referendums, the US ambassador to the UN said.

Moscow tries to draft in men fleeing at borders

21:00 , Jane Dalton

Moscow has reportedly set up draft offices at Russia’s borders to intercept Russian men trying to escape being called up to fight who are queuing at the country’s borders to leave:

Moscow tries to draft fleeing Russian men at the borders

US unveils $1bn arms package for Kyiv

21:15 , Jane Dalton

The United States unveiled a $1.1 billion arms package for Ukraine, including 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) launcher systems, munitions, various types of counter-drone systems and radar systems, officials said.

The Pentagon’s announcement kicks off a contracting process to procure the weapons, and they could take between six and 24 months to deliver, senior officials said.

The Biden administration will procure weapons from industry rather than from existing weapons stocks.

The package also includes 150 vehicles, 40 trucks and 80 trailers to transport heavy equipment, two radars to track unmanned aerial systems, 20 multi-mission radars, tactical secure communications and surveillance systems, as well as body armour training maintenance and spares.