Faced with lightning counteroffensives by Ukrainian forces, which caused the Russian army to retreat, Putin opted to escalate the conflict, with a measure that paves the way for sending more Russian troops to Ukraine.
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After the announcement, on Tuesday, about the organization of “referendums” on the annexation of four regions of eastern and southern Ukraine from Friday (23), the Russian president's statements mark a change in the conflict, which began on February 24th.
“I consider it necessary to support the proposal (from the Ministry of Defense) of partial mobilization of citizens in the reserve, those who have already served (…) and who have relevant experience”, declared Putin in a speech recorded and shown this Wednesday on television.
“We are only talking about a partial mobilization,” insisted the Russian president. In recent days, rumors about a general mobilization have caused concern among many Russians.
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The country's Defense Minister, Serguei Shoigu, explained that the order involves 300.000 reservists, which, in his words, represents only “1,1% of the resources that can be mobilized”.
The order is effective from this Wednesday (21), according to the Russian president. The decree was published shortly after the speech was shown on the Kremlin portal.
Mikhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, mocked the measure.
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“This is all still going according to plan, right? Life has a great sense of humor,” he wrote on Twitter.
“210th day of the 'three-day war'. The Russians who called for the destruction of Ukraine ended up with: 1. Mobilization. 2. Closed borders, blocking of bank accounts. 3. Arrest for desertion,” Podolyak added.
The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said the move represents a “sign of weakness” from Moscow, which needs to deal with a shortage of military personnel in its offensive in Ukraine, which this week completes seven months.
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The United Kingdom followed the same line. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace stated that Putin's decision shows that his offensive “is failing” and highlighted that “the international community is united, while Russia is becoming a global pariah”.
“It’s not a bluff”
Putin once again attacked Western countries, which he said “overcame all limits in their aggressive policy” and wanted to “weaken, divide and, ultimately, destroy” Russia.
“They also carried out nuclear blackmail […] I would like to remind those who make this type of statement that our country also has several means of destruction, some of them more modern than those of NATO countries”, declared the Russian president.
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“We will use all available means to protect Russia and our people,” he highlighted. “And I'm saying 'all means' […] This is not a bluff,” she insisted.
The Defense Minister stated that Russia “does not fight against Ukraine as much as against the West”.
Russian forces suffered several setbacks in Ukrainian counteroffensives in the regions of Kherson (southern Ukraine) and Kharkiv (northeast), where the Russians were forced to cede a lot of territory.
Shoigu announced that the Russian army has recorded the deaths of 5.937 soldiers since the start of the offensive, an official figure much higher than the previous one, but which remains far below Ukrainian and Western estimates, which cite tens of thousands of casualties.
Annexation “pseudoreferendums”
Fighting and bombing continued this Wednesday and Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of once again attacking the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant complex in the south of the country, the largest in Europe.
On Tuesday, authorities in Ukraine's breakaway or occupied regions announced annexation “referendums” to Russia from September 23 to 27.
The votes, similar to the one that formalized the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia in 2014, will take place in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which form the Donbass basin (east), and in the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in the south.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky downplayed the announcements and called the votes “pseudoreferendums.”
(with AFP)
