EXPLAINER
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that will see 300,000 reservists called to fight in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation after Moscow’s troops suffered losses in Ukraine.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Putin warned Western nations supporting Ukraine that Moscow would defend itself with the might of all its vast arsenal if faced with a nuclear threat from the West.
The blunt warning from Russia’s leader marks the biggest escalation of the war since Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine began and accompanied the decision to call up 300,000 extra reservists.
Here is what we know:
What did President Vladimir Putin say?
- On September 21, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first mobilisation since World War II in an early-morning, pre-recorded televised address, saying additional manpower was needed to win a war against Ukraine and its Western backers.
- “To protect our motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and people in the liberated territories, I consider it necessary to support the proposal of the defence ministry and the General Staff to conduct a partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation,” Putin said.
- “We are talking about partial mobilisation. That is, only citizens who are currently in the reserves and, above all, those who have served in the armed forces have military skills and relevant experience. Only they will be subject to conscription,” he added.
- “Conscripts will obligatorily go through additional military training based on the experience of the special military operation before departing to the units,” Putin said, according to an Associated Press news agency translation.
- Putin’s speech came after seven months of fighting and follows recent battlefield losses for Moscow’s forces.
- It also came a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia – a move that could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes.
What does partial mobilisation mean?
- Putin said the conscription will begin on Wednesday, without providing much detail.
- Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, said he expected 300,000 people to be called up out of the country’s vast reserves of about 25 million people.
- Only those with…