Partial mobilization in Russia was announced on Wednesday morning by the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, in his speech that was expected from Tuesday evening.
“We will discuss the steps to be taken to protect our sovereignty and support the will and desire of citizens in Donbass to decide for themselves,” Putin said.
As he said, Western countries are trying to “block” any possibility of independence and development. “The West’s intention is to weaken and destroy us, they openly say that”
Our main goal for the liberation of the people of Donbass remains unchanged, the Russian president also emphasized.
Referring to the partial conscription decision, which comes into effect today, he said it only affects those listed as reservists
At the same time, he declared that he “supports” the decision of the residents of regions controlled by Russia in Ukraine to proceed to referendums as announced on Tuesday in Lugansk and Zaporizhia.
The Russian president also threatened to use nuclear weapons, saying shortly before the end of his speech that “those who threaten us with nuclear weapons should know that this threat can be turned against them”.
Russian hostilities are raging in Ukraine and Moscow is visibly embarrassed by the loss of territory, which has led it to orchestrate actions to annex eastern Ukrainian territory into its territory.
Following the well-known recipe, i.e. what happened after the 2014 Russian-inspired cruise operation in Crimea, the Russian president seems to be unfolding a plan to annex the Ukrainian regions – mainly in the northeast – which he claims with intensity from the first moment of the attack, after and completing a six-month military operation without spectacular results, just as it did in 2014, with the controversial Crimean referendum.
On Tuesday, there were reports of local referendums being held in the Donbas province of Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as in Kherson, while former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said it was “vital” for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine to hold Referendums for Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts to join Russia, which are expected to take place on September 23-27. Pro-Russian forces in Zaporizhia are close to announcing a referendum on the same days, reducing Moscow’s claims from the military to the political side.
It is recalled that through the logic of the referendum, controversial for the international community, the Russian president attempted to legitimize the occupation of Crimea by incorporating it into Russia on March 16, 2014, but in the intervening years, however, until the February 24 invasion , the region experienced periods of great instability and tension, with Moscow struggling to establish conditions of security for its local administrative apparatuses.
It is recalled that Putin was expected to deliver the speech at 20:00, Greek time, on Tuesday, however he did not appear.
