Putin is 'in charge and he will fight back' warns Tobias Ellwood
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The Russian leader announced an immediate partial mobilisation of 300,000 reservists on Wednesday. He also threatened to deploy nuclear weapons as the war in Ukraine enters its eighth month.
In a pre-recorded address broadcast on state TV, Putin said he was calling up the reservists to aid in the war.
He added that the reservists with training and experience would be called to join up first.
During the TV address, the Russian leader said: “To defend Russia and our people, we doubtlessly will use all weapons resources at our disposal. This is not a bluff.”
It was the first time Russia has ordered mobilisation since World War Two, warning that if the West continued what it called “nuclear blackmail”, Russia would respond with the might of all its arsenal.
He added that Russia has “lots of weapons to retaliate”.
Dr Yuri Felshtinsky, author of Blowing up Ukraine: The Return of Russian Terror, told Express.co.uk: “This is a hugely worrying development.
“In the entire Russian/Soviet history of the 20th and 21st centuries, there have been only three mobilisations in 1914, 1941 and now 2022.
“In two previous cases, this resulted in World Wars One and Two.”
One-way flights out of Russia shot up in price and started selling out fast on Wednesday, following the mobilisation announcement.
It caused fears that some men of fighting age, between 18 and 27 years, could be drafted and banned from leaving the country.
But Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the call-up would be limited to those with experience as professional soldiers, and that students and conscripts would not be called up.
The Kremlin, however, declined to comment on whether the borders would be closed to those subject to the mobilisation order.
The Russian population have been told to remain patient until the law is clarified.
Following Putin’s mobilisation announcement, Ukraine officials said it was a predictable step that shows the war is not going according to Moscow’s plan.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said: “Absolutely predictable appeal, which looks more like an attempt to justify their own failure. The war is clearly not going according to Russia’s scenario and therefore required Putin to make extremely unpopular decisions to mobilise and severely restrict the rights of people.”
It comes as Russia battles an unexpectedly strong counter-offensive from Ukraine forces, that have forced Russia to surrender some of its occupied territories.
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