Ukrainian-Iranian relations deteriorate, Russia conducts ethnic cleansing of its own minorities, and what happens when Russia collapses

• Ukraine accuses Iran of supporting the murder of Ukrainians, due to its supply of drones to Russia.
  

Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, on Twitter, said that "after years of sanctions, isolation, an abominable reputation — Iran’s elite still has not realized how to rise from the bottom of civilization.” The Iranian ambassador in Kyiv has been stripped of accreditation, and Ukraine has ordered Iran to reduce their embassy staff. In turn, Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that they “regret” the deterioration in relations. Russia’s first use of an Iranian drone in the full-scale war was reported on Sept. 13. The Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Shahed-136 in Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast.

• Russia is disproportionately targeting the country’s ethnic minorities with mobilization notices.
  

As much as 90% of mobilization notices in Russia-occupied Crimea have been issued to Crimean Tatars in what can be described as an act of genocide, Ukrainian NGO CrimeaSOS said in a message on its website on Sept. 23. At the same time, the Kremlin is indiscriminately scouring the Republic of Buryatia, in the Russian Far East, for people to call up to fight in Ukraine. According to the human rights watchdog organization Free Buryatia, seniors, handicapped people, and those recovering from medical procedures are being drafted regardless of their circumstances. Military commissars go door-to-door calling people up, sometimes at night. Ukraine considers this to be ethnic cleansing, the President’s office said.

• Meanwhile, the Russian vassal state of Chechnya has declared that it will not hold a mobilization drive – as its ruling warlord claims that they have “surpassed the target” for conscripts.
  

• Russian forces in the south of the country are gradually retreating.
  

However, fighting is still fierce, a military spokesperson said: “Fire is coming from one side and the other. But the enemy is still yielding. Gradually, we are securing the territory for ourselves. It strains them, accordingly, there are fewer or more attacks depending on the amount of ammunition we hit during the night.”

• Many of the released Ukrainian POWs are still wounded and suffering from anorexia.
  

Former Azov Commander Andriy Biletsky revealed that none of the released Azov fighters’ wounds were treated in captivity, meaning that they will all need to undergo lengthy rehabilitation and recovery processes. He added that despite the difficult situation the 108 Azov Regiment went through, most are looking forward to returning to the front.

• Russian troops sold an infantry fighting vehicle to the Ukrainian side.
  

In a Telegram post, Mykolaiv governor Vitaliy Kim posted a picture of the IFV, a Tigr (Tiger), saying that despite it having undergone inexpert battlefield repairs, it was still fit for service after some maintenance. Kim stated that this particular Tigr was sold for $5,000, and listed out a variety of prices for other military gear. He encouraged Russian soldiers in the region to take the deal.

• Putin has fired and replaced the official in charge of military logistics.
  

Deputy Russian Defense Minister Dmitriy Bulgakov has been replaced with Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Mizintsev is known to have commanded Russian forces in Syria, and was responsible for overseeing the slaughter of Mariupol. He is believed to hold Putin’s favor at the moment.

• First Lady Olena Zelenska visits New York during the 77th UN General Assembly.
  

Her three-day visit included the launch of a new charity foundation for Ukraine at the Metropolitan Opera, attended by luminaries such as Hillary Clinton, took part in the General Assembly itself, and met with both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss.

• Finland arrests the assets of Yandex and the Rotenberg oligarchs.
  

Yandex, Russia’s largest internet services company, made famous by their Yandex search engine, saw its Finnish division’s accounts frozen by the Finnish government, which also seized the Finnish assets of billionaire oligarch brothers Boris and Arkady Rotenberg.

• In total, $500 billion in Russian assets have been seized, arrested, or frozen worldwide, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted.
  
  

• MPs present a bill to restructure ownership of the nation’s gas transmission operator.
  

The proposed legislation would merge the current owner, MAHISTRALNI GAZOPROVODY UKRAINY (MGU), with the operator itself (GTSO), simplifying the bureaucratic structure of the gas transmission system’s operation. However, MGU’s supervisory board is envisioned to remain following the merger, the bill’s authors state.

• The weekend long-read: A volunteer describes life under occupation in recently-liberated Izyum.

Maxim Krakovsky, a Kyiv resident and a volunteer with the NGO “Enjoying Life”, was one of the first to arrive in liberated Izyum with food and other necessities. Krakovsky spoke to NV about what he saw and heard in Izyum.

• Don’t miss: How likely is Russia’s disintegration?

NV speaks to Anton Muraveinyk, the chief analyst of the Come Back Alive Foundation, about one of the war’s biggest questions: what happens if or when Putin’s regime collapses?

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine