Kiev, 4 October 2022 (dpa/MIA) – Ukrainian forces liberated several more villages in the south of the country on Tuesday, hastening another speedy Russian military retreat. The head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram news service that five villages had been recaptured. Footage purporting to show the liberation of the long-contested village of Davydiv Brid and the villages of Velyka Oleksandrivka and Starosillya on the Inhulets River were circulating on social networks. Russia occupied large parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson in the east and south of Ukraine since the start of its invasion, but Ukrainian forces have been gradually pushing them out of these regions. Also on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree banning Ukrainians from conducting negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The decree follows a decision by Ukraine's Council for Security and Defence reacting to the annexation by Russia of four Ukrainian regions, defying international law. The council, which is headed by Zelensky and is made up of cabinet members and the heads of the armed forces and security services, sees the annexation as a violation of international law. In Washington, the White House announced further arms deliveries to Ukraine worth a total of $625 million, including HIMARS mobile rocket launch systems, ammunition and armoured vehicles. In a phone call with Zelensky, President Joe Biden "also affirmed the continued readiness of the United States to impose severe costs on any individual, entity, or country that provides support to Russia’s purported annexation," a statement said. The arms package for Ukraine is from Pentagon stockpiles, according to the US State Department. This brings the total US military assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Biden's tenure to $17.5 billion. Most of the aid has been provided since Russia launched its war against Ukraine on February 24. In New York, the UN General Assembly scheduled an emergency session starting next Monday to discuss the Russian annexations, according to a letter sent by the largest UN body to the 194 member states on Tuesday. There will also be a vote on a resolution condemning Moscow's actions during the deliberations, according to diplomats. It is unclear whether the vote will take place on Monday or not, considering the potentially high number of speakers. Russia vetoed a similar draft resolution on Friday in the UN Security Council, the most powerful UN body containing 15 members. China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstained. A strong majority is expected to decide in favour of the condemnation in the UN General Assembly vote, but the resolution will be judged against two previous outcomes. In March, the assembly rejected the Russian invasion of Ukraine by a record majority of 141 votes, and following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, 100 member states endorsed a resolution that stressed Ukraine's territorial integrity. Meanwhile, the upper house of the Russian parliament gave its rubber stamp to Moscow's annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson. The Federation Council voted unanimously to pass a bill incorporating the regions into the Russian Federation, state news agency TASS reported. Putin signed the treaties of accession on Friday, and the lower house approved it on Monday. Once Putin signs the annexation bill into law, it will come into force. The State Duma has already passed various laws that cover the Ukrainian territories' full integration into Russia and provide for a transitional period until 2026. Kazakh Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov said on Tuesday that more than 200,000 Russians had crossed the border since the Kremlin announced a mobilization of reservists to assist its struggling invasion effort. He added that 147,000 Russians have also travelled onwards from Kazakhstan since September 21, without providing further details. Russia is hoping to call up about 300,000 reservists to aim forces that are reportedly undertrained, understaffed and demoralized in Ukraine. But the move has proven unpopular in Russia, with many men choosing to flee the country rather than risk military service. Of those who are being called up, many are reporting that they were never eligible for military service. In Moscow, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that more than 200,000 people have already been drafted as part of Russia's partial military mobilization. "Training is taking place on 80 drill sites and six training centres," Shoigu said. There is great concern amongst mostly young male conscripts that they might be sent to the war in Ukraine at the end of their term. However, Shoigu said they will not be sent to take part in the invasion.