KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to withdraw from Ukraine on Wednesday, nearly seven months after he invaded Ukraine, is a dangerous and deeply unpopular move following the humiliating defeat of his troops.
The first such call by Russia after World War II is sure to further escalate tensions with Ukraine's Western supporters, who ridicule it as a weak and desperate act. The move sent some Russians out of the country to obtain plane tickets and reportedly sparked some protests.
The Kremlin is struggling to fill the troops in Ukraine, to reach for volunteers. Even large-scale recruitments are being heard in prisons.
In his seven-minute nationally televised address, Putin also warned the West that he was not bluffing to use everything at his disposal to defend Russia - an apparent reference to its nuclear arsenal. He had previously asked the West not to support Russia against the wall and rebuked NATO countries for supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Officials said the total number of conservators called up could be as high as 300,000. However, the decree authorizing Putin's partial mobilization immediately provided few details, raising doubts that the draft could be expanded at any time. One part in particular was kept secret.
Even a partial provocation would increase Russian skepticism or anxiety about the war. Shortly after Putin's address, Russian media reported a surge in demand for plane tickets, despite exorbitant prices.
The Vesna opposition movement has called for nationwide protests to criticize the military and Russia's crackdown on the war, though it is unclear how many will do so.
"Thousands of Russian men - our fathers, brothers and husbands - will be thrown into the meat grinder of war. What will they die? Why are mothers and children crying?" The team said.
The Russian protest monitoring group Avtozak reported dozens of demonstrations, with some arrested, in Siberia, including Ulan-Ude and Tomsk, and Khabarovsk in the Far East.
As protest calls spread online, Moscow's prosecutor's office warned that organizing or participating in such actions could result in up to 15 years in prison. Authorities had issued similar warnings before other recent protests. State communications regulator Roskomnadzor also warned the media that access to its website would be blocked for spreading "misinformation" about the campaign. It was not at all clear what this meant.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asked what had changed because he and others had previously said there were no plans for a reunion, saying Russia was successfully fighting NATO.
The partial mobilization order came a day after referendums in Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to become part of Russia - a move that would eventually allow Moscow to escalate the war. The referendum begins on Friday in the partly Russian-controlled regions of Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia and Donetsk.
Voting on the way to Moscow is guaranteed. Foreign leaders have called the votes illegitimate and non-binding. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they were "pretending" and "noise" to distract the public.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Putin's speech was "definitely a sign that he is struggling, and we know it."
White House press secretary Carin Jean-Pierre said on MSNBC: "It's all because Russia is losing on the battlefield."
Kirby told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Russia has suffered thousands of casualties, command and control issues, terrible military morale, deportation problems and "forcing the wounded back [in the war].
However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, speaking on Russian TV, said 5,937 Russian soldiers were killed in the conflict, far below Western estimates.
He also said that only those with relevant combat and service experience would be mobilized, and although about 25 million people meet this requirement, only 1% would be mobilized.
Neither Shoigu nor Putin provided other criteria for the call, so it was unclear how many years of combat experience or training level would be required. The decree, signed by Putin and published on the Kremlin's website, is even less clear, providing only for partial mobilization of "citizens of the Russian Federation."
Another important clause in the decree prohibits most professional soldiers from terminating their contracts and leaving service unless partial mobilization remains.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been the subject of international criticism at the United Nations General Assembly, which has put intense diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Zelensky is due to address the audience later on Wednesday in a pre-recorded address. Putin is not available.
There is a strong danger in Putin's move: he could backfire by making war unpopular at home and damaging his own reputation. It also acknowledges Russia's internal military weaknesses.
This month, Ukraine's counter-military initiative took control from Russia, as well as large swathes of territory in Ukraine once occupied by Russians. The speed of the attack saw Russian troops retreat, abandoning armored vehicles and other weapons.
Zelensky's spokesman called the campaign "a great tragedy" for the Russian people.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serge Nikiforov said the troops being sent to Ukraine would meet the same fate as the ill-prepared Russian forces that unsuccessfully attempted to take Kiev at the start of the war.
"This is a recognition of the incompetence of the Russian professional army, which has failed in all its tasks," said Nikiforov.
Russia's provocations on the battlefield may yield no results for months due to a lack of training facilities and equipment.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described Putin's move as "a belief that his offensive is failing."
Russian political analyst Dmitry Orshkin said it appeared to be an "act of desperation". He predicted that the Russians would counter the provocation with "passive sabotage."
Oreshkin told AP: "People will avoid this agitation in every way, they will leave this agitation, they will leave the country."
He said the ad would be unpopular, adding that "until recently [the war participants] were happy, sitting in bed, watching TV, causing great personal harm to Russian citizens." And now war has entered their house.
The war in Ukraine, which has killed thousands, has boosted global food prices and energy prices. It has also raised fears that Europe's largest nuclear power plant could come up in the now-Russian-held southeast of Ukraine. Investigations into possible war crimes by Moscow forces are also underway.
In his address, which was much shorter than previous speeches on the war, Putin accused the West of "nuclear aggression" and "the declaration by major NATO powers of the extensive use of some advanced nuclear weapons." Chance ". Damage to Russia. ,
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