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NATO has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of provoking "the most serious escalation" of the war in Ukraine since it began, but said he would not succeed in deterring the alliance from supporting Kyiv.

"We have the combination of the mobilisation in Russia, combined with the reckless, dangerous nuclear rhetoric, and then today's illegal annexation, or attempt to annex parts of Ukraine," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"Together this is the most serious escalation of the conflict since the start and the aim of President Putin is to deter us from supporting Ukraine. But he will not succeed in that," he told a news conference.

He was speaking after Putin proclaimed Russia's annexation of a swathe of Ukraine at a Kremlin ceremony, promising Moscow would triumph in its "special military operation" against Kyiv even as some of his troops faced potential defeat.

Putin's proclamation of Russian rule over 15 per cent of Ukraine - the biggest annexation in Europe since World War II - has been firmly rejected by Western countries and even many of Russia's close allies.

Stoltenberg said Russia's move was "the largest attempted annexation of European territory by force since the Second World War", adding that an area roughly the size of Portugal had been "illegally seized by Russia at gunpoint".

"The sham referendums were engineered in Moscow and imposed on Ukraine in total violation of international law. This land grab is illegal and illegitimate," he said.

"NATO allies do not and will not recognise any of this territory as part of Russia.

"We call on all states to reject Russia's blatant attempts at territorial conquest. These lands are Ukraine."

He said NATO was not a party to the conflict, but it reaffirmed its "unwavering support" for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and would continue to support the country in defending itself against Russi

© RAW 2022

A revived Hurricane Ian has set its sights on South Carolina's coast and the historic city of Charleston, with forecasters predicting a storm surge and floods after the megastorm caused catastrophic damage in Florida.

With all of South Carolina's coast under a hurricane warning, a steady stream of vehicles left Charleston on Thursday following officials' warnings to seek higher ground.

Storefronts were sandbagged to ward off high water levels in an area prone to inundation.

With winds holding at 140km/h the National Hurricane Centre's update at 5am on Friday placed Ian about 235km southeast of Charleston and forecast a "life-threatening storm surge" and hurricane conditions along the Carolina coastal area later on Friday.

The hurricane warning stretched from the Savannah River to Cape Fear, with flooding likely across the Carolinas and southwestern Virginia, the centre said. The forecast predicted a storm surge of up to 2.1 metres into coastal areas of the Carolinas, and rainfall of up to 20cm.

In Florida, rescue crews piloted boats and waded through riverine streets Thursday to save thousands of Floridians trapped amid flooded homes and buildings shattered by Hurricane Ian.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at least 700 rescues, mostly by air, were conducted on Thursday involving the US Coast Guard, the National Guard and urban search-and-rescue teams.

Ian had come ashore Wednesday on Florida's Gulf Coast as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the US.

It flooded homes on both the state's coasts, cut off the only road access to a barrier island, destroyed a historic waterfront pier and knocked out electricity to 2.6 million Florida homes and businesses. Some 2.1 million of those customers remained in the dark days afterward.

At least six people were confirmed dead in Florida, including two who died Thursday afternoon when their car hydroplaned and overturned in a water-filled ditch in north Florida's Putnam County, while three other people were reported killed in Cuba after the hurricane struck there on Tuesday.

In the Fort Myers area, the hurricane ripped homes from their slabs and deposited them among shredded wreckage. Businesses near the beach were completely razed, leaving twisted debris. Broken docks floated at odd angles beside damaged boats. Fires smouldered on lots where houses once stood.

"I don't know how anyone could have survived in there," William Goodison said amid the wreckage of a mobile home park in Fort Myers Beach where he'd lived for 11 years. Goodison said he was alive only because he rode out the storm at his son's house inland.

The road into Fort Myers was littered with broken trees, boat trailers and other debris. Cars were left abandoned in the road, having stalled when the storm surge flooded their engines.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said his office was scrambling to respond to thousands of 911 calls in the Fort Myers area, but many roads and bridges were impassable.

Emergency crews sawed through toppled trees to reach stranded people. Many in the hardest-hit areas were unable to call for help because of electrical and mobile phone outages.

A chunk of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6300 people live.

Hours after weakening to a tropical storm while crossing the Florida peninsula, Ian regained hurricane strength Thursday evening over the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Centre predicted it would hit South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane on Friday.

National Guard troops were being positioned in South Carolina to help with the aftermath, including any water rescues. And in Washington, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state, a needed step to speed federal assist for recovery once Ian passes.

© RAW 2022

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced Optus has agreed to cover the costs for replacement passports following a massive data breach.

Mr Albanese confirmed the telco will pay during a press conference following a national cabinet meeting on Friday.

"Optus have responded to my request that I made in parliament and that Senator Wong made in writing to Optus and they will cover the costs to replace affected customers' passports. It's entirely appropriate," he said.

Mr Albanese said he found it "extraordinary that the federal opposition called upon taxpayers to foot the bill".

Foreign Minister Penny Wong wrote to Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin earlier this week, asking the telco to cover the cost of replacing the sensitive documents.

Meanwhile, a new police task force has been set up to help protect customers affected by the Optus data breach from identity theft.

Operation Guardian, launched by Australian Federal Police in collaboration with state and territory forces, will help impacted customers and safeguard Australians against cybercrime.

The more than 10,000 people whose identity documents are known to have been released during the breach are being prioritised by the task force to ensure they do not become victims of financial fraud.

AFP Assistant Commissioner of Cyber Command Justine Gough said investigators would deliver justice for those whose personal information had been compromised.

But she admitted investigators were still determining exactly how many people were affected.

"Customers affected by the breach will receive multi-jurisdictional and multi-layered protection from identity crime and financial fraud," she told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

Guardian will focus on monitoring online forums and other internet and dark web sites for criminals trying to exploit the identity information.

"The AFP and law enforcement across Australia are taking this crime very seriously," Ms Gough said.

"Cybercrime is the break-and-enter of the 21st century and we encourage all Australians to be extra vigilant about their online security at this time."

She urged Australians to report suspicious activity related to bank accounts, not click on links in text messages and be wary of phone calls from people claiming to be Optus staff.

In a statement on its website, Optus said the AFP-led operation would bring together "collective legislative powers, experience, investigative and intelligence capabilities" to hunt down the hacker and protect customers.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticised the government for not introducing new privacy legislation to parliament this week following the Optus hack.

He said Australians should be "white hot with anger" after their sensitive information was stolen.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus earlier this week said the government was seeking to put legislation to the lower house by year's end.

"I think 10 million Australians should be white hot with anger that their information was compromised and the home affairs minister went missing for three days," he told Nine.

The opposition has called for the government to unfreeze "critical" cyber security funding, which is being reviewed along with other industry grants made by the former Morrison government.

More than $60 million in cyber security training grants have been withheld.

Opposition industry spokeswoman Sussan Ley said delaying funding from the Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund was inexcusable.

© AAP 2022