More soldiers and new nuclear threats – is Putin panicking?
Created: 09/22/2022, 11:13 am
By: Klaus Rimpel
Russian President Vladimir Putin is mobilizing more armed forces in the war with neighboring Ukraine.
© Pavel Bednyakov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa
Russia is apparently fed up with the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
President Vladimir Putin gives the green light for an increase in troops in the war.
What does that mean.
Moscow - Partial mobilization, the renewed threat of nuclear weapons: Vladimir Putin is escalating his war against Ukraine dramatically.
We examine Russia's position in the conflict with the West and answer the most important questions.
Russia mobilization in the Ukraine war: what does Vladimir Putin say?
In a televised speech, the Russian President announced that he would mobilize reservists who “have relevant experience”.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that 300,000 of the 25 million Russian reservists in Ukraine should be sent to the front.
Russia will use all "available means" to protect its territory, Putin said.
"It's not a bluff.
Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the tide can also turn in their direction.” The West did not want peace between Ukraine and Russia; rather, it wanted to destroy and “enslave” Russia.
Ukraine war: What does Putin's partial mobilization bring?
In the case of partial mobilization (more on this in the news ticker), only parts of the armed forces are mobilized, in the case of general mobilization all those who are fit for military service.
The British government sees the partial mobilization and the planned referendums in Donbass as "admissions that its invasion is failing".
Military analyst Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute says the military benefit is small: "A large number of poorly trained and badly motivated soldiers is not a big advantage." The main problem of the Russian military remains poor equipment.
How are the Russians reacting?
Many young men, unwilling to end up as cannon fodder in Ukraine, try to flee.
Long traffic jams formed yesterday at the border with Finland.
Flight tickets to Turkey or Georgia are becoming scarce.
According to the online service Google Trends, the search terms “tickets” and “plane” have been entered twice as often on the Internet as usual since early morning in Russia.
The search query "leave Russia" was a hundred times more frequent than on normal days.
Reservists are forbidden to flee: “Citizens who are recorded as reservists in the military register are prohibited from leaving their place of residence without the permission of the military commissariats from the moment of mobilization,” says the law on mobilization in Russia, which has been in force since Wednesday.
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"Militarily a disaster for Russia": Expert calculates with Putin's partial mobilization
There is rumbling in Putin's empire: after Kadyrov's threat, the Kremlin spokesman's response gives a deep insight
What is Putin aiming for with the referendums?
Putin is reacting to Ukraine's successful offensive with referendums on the annexation of occupied territories to Russia starting on Friday.
"This rush is probably driven by fears of an imminent attack and the expectation of greater security after formal incorporation into Russia," according to an analysis by British intelligence.
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How dangerous is Putin's nuclear threat?
For the time being, the Federal Government sees no reason to reassess the nuclear threat as a result of the Kremlin's announcement.
"We currently have no knowledge of Russia increasing the readiness of the nuclear forces," the Defense Ministry said.
The United States said the White House was taking the threat "very seriously."
Putin's announcement of the mobilization has allegedly led to a large demand for airline tickets.
More and more people seem to want to leave the country.
(KR)