Putin orders partial mobilization of Russian military for Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of his country’s military for the war in Ukraine Wednesday and backed votes in occupied areas to join Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of military reservists Wednesday, a significant escalation of his war in Ukraine after battlefield setbacks left the Kremlin facing growing pressure to act.
In a rare national address, Putin also backed plans for Russia to annex occupied areas of southern and eastern Ukraine and appeared to threaten nuclear retaliation if Kyiv continues its efforts to reclaim that land.
The announcement came just a day after four Russian-controlled areas announced they would stage votes this week on breaking away from Ukraine and joining Russia, a plan Kyiv and its Western allies dismissed as a desperate “sham” to deter a successful counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops.
Vowing that Russia would use all the means at its disposal to protect what it considers its territory, Putin accused the West of nuclear blackmail and warned: “This is not a bluff.”
Speaking after him, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said 300,000 reservists would be called up initially.
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