In a speech, Russia’s President announces the partial mobilization.
(Photo: AP)
Moscow Almost seven months after the start of the war against Ukraine, Russia ordered a partial mobilization of its own armed forces. He made this decision after a proposal from the Defense Ministry and signed the decree, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin said in a televised speech on Wednesday.
Partial mobilization will begin this Wednesday. He also wants to solve personnel problems at the front. At the same time, Putin announced that he would support the “referendums” in the occupied territories of Ukraine on joining Russia.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says 300,000 people will be partially mobilized. This affects around one percent of the resources of 25 million and applies to people with military experience.
According to Putin, the partial mobilization means that reservists will be drafted. He assured them that they would have the same status and pay as the current contract soldiers, and they would receive military training before going to the front.
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Russia will use all means to protect its territorial integrity, Putin said. He also mentioned nuclear weapons. Putin has already put the strategic nuclear arsenal on increased readiness to deter NATO from interfering in Ukraine.
Reactions of Russian media
Many Russian-language media published the news of partial mobilization in the morning. For example, the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, which specializes in business news, published a news text on the decision, but did not classify or evaluate it further.
The Defense Minister of Russia declares that 300,000 people will be partially mobilized.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
The Russian-language news portal Meduza, which is critical of the Kremlin, initially only published a news text on its own website. In its Telegram channel, however, the editors shared a call for a demonstration organized by the group “Vesna” (Spring), which is calling for 7 p.m. in the centers of all Russian cities.
The partial mobilization, the group said, means “thousands of Russian men — our fathers, brothers and husbands” will be thrown into the “meatmill” of war. “Why will they die? Why will mothers and children shed tears? For Putin’s palace?” the text read.
The protest rally is “just the beginning,” the group said on Telegram. One is sure that Putin’s decision can be “the end of this power”, probably meaning the government. “Now the country has to go outside. Everything is in our hands,” the group ends the appeal.
Ukraine map of September 20, 2022
Kirill Martynov, editor-in-chief of the European edition of the Kremlin-critical newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose European editorial office has been in Riga since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began on February 24 this year, wrote on Twitter regarding the partial mobilization: “Vladimir Putin has declared the partial death of the Russian Federation.”
“Referendums” in occupied territories
The “People’s Republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk in the east of Ukraine, which Moscow recognizes, and the Cherson region in the south also want to have a vote on joining the Russian Federation this week in controversial proceedings. This was announced by the regions on Tuesday.
The mock referendums, which are not recognized by either Ukraine or the international community, are to be held from September 23-27. They are seen as a reaction to the current Ukrainian counter-offensive in the east of the country.
Now reservists are also to be drafted.
(Photo: IMAGO/SNA)
In a similar way, in 2014 Russia prepared to annex the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. Internationally, the vote was never recognized. This time, too, recognition is not in sight.
Russian political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya believes that Putin decided to hold accession referendums after his original plans to seize the territories in Ukraine failed. Once the regions have been included, he has the option of defending the territories under threat of using nuclear weapons. In doing so, he significantly increased the stakes in the war.
>> Read here: All current developments in the Ukraine war in the Newsblog
In view of the recent Ukrainian advance, the separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk had called for such “coordination” to be held quickly. Russia had justified its invasion of Ukraine, among other things, with the “liberation” of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
With agency material
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