Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial mobilisation in Russia and said that the West has shown that it aims to destroy Russia, informs broadcaster BBC with the reference to the news agency TASS.
In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, 21 September, Putin announced that this was a necessary step to ensure Russian territorial integrity. He accused the West of wanting to see Russia weakened and destroyed.
The Russian president says that it’s necessary to take an urgent decision to protect people in the «liberated lands».
«That’s why I asked the ministry of defence to agree to partial mobilisation,» Putin explained.
He announced that the decree has already been signed and it starts today, on Wednesday, 21 September, and added that all citizens who will be mobilised will have full armed forces status.
The Russian president accused Western countries of blackmailing Russia. He continued with threats by saying that Russia has many weapons with which to respond.
«We will use all resources we have to defend our people,» Russia’s leader announced.
Putin also said that people living in areas of Ukraine under Russian control do not want to be «under the yoke of neo–Nazis».
On plans for so–called referendums in these parts of the country,Putin goes on to say «we support these people».
The UK’s Foreign Office Minister Gillian Keegan has described Vladimir Putin’s threat to the West that he has lots of weapons as “chilling”, adding that the address was «more of Putin’s lies.»
«It’s a serious threat but it’s one that’s been made before,» she tells the BBC. Nevertheless, the minister said that the discussions would continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, US ambassador in Ukraine announced that Putin by ordering partial mobilisation of military reservists is a sign of «weakness».
Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the partial mobilisation «is an attempt to further escalate the war Russia launched against Ukraine» and «further proof that Russia is the sole aggressor.»
the Vice Chancellor of Germany Robert Habeck describes mobilisation as «another bad and wrong step from Russia».
While Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the mobilisation and referenda plans «a sign of panic».
BNN has previously reported that the self–proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic announced that they will be holding a referendum between 23rd and 27th of September on the addition of their regions to the Russian Federation, as leaders of the self–proclaimed republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin announced on Tuesday, 20 September.
Many world leaders condemned the initiative to hold referendum by saying that they will not acknowledge any referendum or new annexations of Ukrainian territory.