Other Western leaders meeting in New York vowed not to recognize the fake referendums and called Putin’s escalation a sign of weakness.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in response to Putin’s threats: “The answer is not to resign and stop supporting Ukraine. The answer, if anything, is to step up and give more support to Ukraine .
“We will make sure there is no misunderstanding in Moscow about the seriousness of using nuclear weapons.
“We have been so clear in our communications with Russia about the unprecedented consequences, about the fact that nuclear war cannot be won by Russia.”
He said the only way to end the war was to “prove that President Putin will not win on the battlefield.”
Putin’s escalation followed mounting casualties and setbacks for Russian forces as they were repulsed by a Ukrainian counteroffensive this month.
After his announcement of mobilization, young Russians began to try to leave the country.
Air tickets to visa-free countries such as Turkey and Belarus sold out quickly.
There were protests in dozens of cities across Russia, some of which turned violent.
In Moscow, protesters chanted: “Send Putin to the trenches.” In the city of Novosibirsk, a young Russian was filmed shouting: “I don’t want to die for Putin.”
As of Wednesday night, Russian authorities had arrested 700 people in more than 35 cities.