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As the war in Ukraine approaches seven months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial mobilization in Russia.
Mr Putin also warned the West that Russia would use all available means to protect its territory, saying: “This is not bluff.”
He accused the West of being involved in “nuclear blackmail” and pointed to “statements by some high-ranking representatives of major NATO countries regarding the possible use of nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia”.
He added: “To those who allow themselves to speak out about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of sabotage and is independent and more modern than a NATO country that is threatened when our territorial integrity is , we will use all means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu later said that 300,000 reservists would be mobilized.
Putin’s address to the nation came a day after the Russian-controlled eastern and southern regions of Ukraine announced plans to vote on becoming an integral part of Russia.
The Kremlin-backed effort to annex four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war after Ukraine’s recent success on the battlefield.
Referendums will begin on Friday in Luhansk, Kherson and parts of the Russian-held Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions.
Putin said he had signed a decree on partial mobilization, which will begin on Wednesday.
“We’re talking about partial mobilization, which means that only citizens who are currently in the reserves will be drafted, and most importantly, those who are in the military, have some military expertise and relevant experience,” he said.
The Russian leader said the decision to partially mobilize was “entirely sufficient to address the threats we face, namely to protect our homeland, our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and the people of the liberated areas.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Russia’s plans for a referendum as “noise” and thanked Ukrainian allies for condemning the vote, which is scheduled to begin on Friday.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council chaired by Putin, said a referendum to incorporate the region into Russia itself would make the redrawn border “irreversible” and enable Moscow to use “any means” to defend them.
Zelensky said in his evening speech that there were many questions surrounding the announcements, but stressed that they would not change Ukraine’s commitment to retake areas occupied by Russian forces.
“The situation on the front clearly shows that the initiative belongs to Ukraine,” he said.
“Our position is not going to change because of the noise or any announcements somewhere. We have the full support of our partners in this regard.”
The upcoming vote will almost certainly go the way of Moscow. But they were quickly dismissed as illegal by Western leaders, who backed Kyiv with military and other support to help its troops gain momentum on the eastern and southern battlefields.
“I thank all of Ukraine’s friends and partners for today’s massive and principled condemnation of Russia’s attempt to hold a new fake referendum,” Mr Zelensky said.
In another sign that Russia is grappling with a protracted and potentially intensifying conflict, the Kremlin-controlled lower house voted on Tuesday to strengthen laws prohibiting desertion, surrender and looting by Russian troops. Lawmakers also voted for a possible 10-year prison sentence for soldiers who refuse to fight.
If approved by the upper house as expected and then signed by Mr Putin, the bill would strengthen commanders and prevent low morale among soldiers.
Shelling continues around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in the Russian-occupied city of Enehodar.
Ukrainian energy operator Energoatom said Russian shelling once again damaged infrastructure at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and briefly forced workers to start two diesel generators to provide emergency power to the cooling pumps of one of the reactors.
Even if all six of the plant’s reactors are shut down, such pumps are critical to avoiding a nuclear meltdown.
Energoatom said the generators were later shut down as mains power was restored.
Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has been in the spotlight for months amid fears
Shelling can lead to radiation leakage.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for shelling.
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