Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, taking a risky and deeply unpopular step after humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.
The first call on Russia since World War II is sure to raise tensions with Ukraine’s Western supporters, who derided the move as an act of weakness and desperation. The move also left Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets out of the country and reportedly sparked some protests.
The Kremlin has struggled to replenish its troops in Ukraine, seeking volunteers to serve in battalions. There have even been reports of widespread recruitment in prisons.
Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization in Russia on Wednesday. (AP)
In his seven-minute televised address to the nation, Putin also warned the West not to be fooled by using everything at its disposal to protect Russia, an apparent reference to its nuclear arsenal. He has previously told the West not to back Russia against the wall and reprimanded NATO countries for supplying arms to Ukraine.
The total number of reservists to be called up could reach 300,000, officials said. However, the decree offered few details, raising suspicions among analysts and Kremlin critics that the draft could be expanded at any time. One clause in particular was kept secret.
Even a partial mobilization is likely to increase consternation or sow doubt among Russians about the war. Shortly after Putin’s speech, Russian media reported a sharp increase in demand for air tickets abroad amid an apparent scramble to fly despite exorbitant prices.
The Vesna opposition movement called for nationwide protests.
“Thousands of Russian men—our fathers, brothers, and husbands—will be thrown into the meat grinder of war. Why will they die? Why do mothers and children cry? The group said.
A window frame hangs from the edge of a residential building that was damaged in a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (AP)
It was unclear how many would protest, given Russia’s tough laws against criticism of the military and the invasion of Ukraine. Avtozak, a Russian group monitoring the protests, reported demonstrations that drew dozens of people to cities including the Siberian cities of Ulan-Ude and Tomsk, and Khabarovsk in the Far East, with some arrests.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked what had changed since he and others previously said no mobilization was planned, said Russia is effectively fighting NATO because alliance members have been supplying weapons in Kyiv
In this photo taken from a video released by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu speaks during a meeting in Moscow. (AP)
Ukrainian soldiers embrace as Russians retreat
“A sign he’s struggling, and we know it”
The partial mobilization order came a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes to become part of Russia, a move that could allow Moscow escalating the war for legal reasons. Referendums will begin on Friday in the regions of Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, which are partly controlled by Russia.
The vote is certain to go Moscow’s way. Foreign leaders have called the votes illegitimate and non-binding. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they were a “sham” and “noise” to distract the public.
Putin’s speech is “definitely a sign that he is struggling, and we know that,” said US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
People look out of a window of a residential building that was damaged after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (AP)
US President Joe Biden told the UN General Assembly: “We will stand in solidarity against Russian aggression, period.” He said Putin’s new nuclear threats against Europe show “reckless disregard” for Russia’s responsibilities as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Russia has suffered tens of thousands of casualties, has command and control problems, terrible troop morale, desertion problems and is “forcing the wounded back into the fight,” Kirby told ABC’s Good Morning America.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added on MSNBC: “It’s all because Russia is losing ground on the battlefield.”
Only those with relevant combat and service experience will be mobilized, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. He added that about 25 million people meet that criteria, but that only about 1 percent will mobilize.
President Joe Biden addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. (AP)
Another key clause in the decree prevents most professional soldiers from terminating their contracts and leaving the service until partial mobilization is no longer in effect.
World leaders condemn ‘great tragedy’ for Russia
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the subject of widespread international criticism at the UN General Assembly, which has maintained intense diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Zelenskyy is due to address the gathering in a pre-recorded address later Wednesday. Putin is not attending.
Putin’s attitude has a strong element of risk: it could backfire by making the war unpopular at home and damaging his own standing. It also admits Russia’s underlying military deficiencies.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive this month has seized Russia’s military initiative, as well as capturing large areas in Ukraine that the Russians previously held. Their speed caused Russian troops to abandon armored vehicles and other weapons as they retreated.
A spokesman for Zelenskiy called the mobilization a “great tragedy” for the Russian people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poses for a photo with soldiers after attending a national flag-raising ceremony last week. (AP)
In a statement to The Associated Press, Sergii Nikiforov said the recruits sent to Ukraine would face a fate similar to that of ill-prepared Russian forces who were repulsed in an attack on Kyiv in the early days of the war .
“This is a recognition of the inability of the Russian professional army, which has failed in all its tasks,” Nikiforov said.
The Russian mobilization is unlikely to produce any consequences on the battlefield for months due to a lack of training facilities and equipment.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described Putin’s move as “an admission that his invasion is failing”.
Russian political analyst Dmitri Oreshkin said Putin’s announcement smacked of “an act of desperation.” He predicted that the Russians would resist mobilization through “passive sabotage.”
“People will circumvent this mobilization in every possible way, they will bribe the way out of this mobilization, they will leave the country,” Oreshkin told the AP.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been a focus of concern for months. (AP)
The announcement will be unpopular, he said, describing it as “a huge personal blow to Russian citizens, who until recently (participated in hostilities) with gusto, sitting on their couches, (watching) television. And now the war has come. to his house.”
Putin accuses West of ‘nuclear blackmail’
The war in Ukraine, which has killed thousands of people, has pushed up food prices around the world and sent energy costs soaring. It has also sparked fears of a possible nuclear catastrophe at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, now occupied by Russia. Possible war crimes atrocities committed by Moscow forces are also being investigated.
In his speech, which was much shorter than previous speeches on the Ukraine war, Putin accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and pointed to “statements by some high-ranking representatives of the main NATO states on the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the opening of the Army 2022 International Military and Technical Forum at Patriot Park outside Moscow. (AP)
“To those who allow such statements about Russia, I want to remind them that our country also has various means of destruction … and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all means at our disposal,” Putin said, adding: “It’s not a bluff.”
Putin said he has already signed the partial mobilization decree, which begins immediately, and stressed its limited scale.
“We are talking about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve and, above all, those who served in the armed forces with a certain military specialty and relevant experience will be subject to conscription,” Putin said.
Shoigu said 5,937 Russian soldiers have died in the conflict, far below Western estimates of tens of thousands.