The dangerous order follows humiliating setbacks for Putin’s troops nearly seven months after they invaded Ukraine. The first such call to Russia since World War II raised tensions with Ukraine’s Western supporters, who derided it as an act of weakness and desperation. The move also prompted some Russians to try to buy plane tickets to leave the country. In his 14-minute nationally televised speech, Putin also warned the West that he was not bluffing about using everything at his disposal to protect Russia – an apparent reference to its nuclear arsenal. In the past he has reprimanded NATO countries for supplying arms to Ukraine. Faced with steep battlefield losses, expanding front lines and a conflict raging longer than expected, the Kremlin has struggled to replenish its troops in Ukraine, even resorting to extensive prison recruitment. The total number of reservists to be called up could reach 300,000, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. But Putin’s decree authorizing the partial mobilization, which took effect immediately, offered few details, raising suspicions that the draft could be expanded at any time. In particular, one clause was kept secret. Despite Russia’s harsh laws against criticizing the military and the war, protesters angered by the mobilization overcame their fear of arrest to hold demonstrations in cities across the country. Nearly 1,200 Russians were arrested in anti-war protests in cities including Moscow and St. Petersburg, according to the independent Russian human rights group OVD-Info. Associated Press reporters in Moscow witnessed at least a dozen arrests in the first 15 minutes of a nighttime demonstration in the capital, with heavily armored police confronting protesters in front of shops, pushing some away as they chanted “No to war!” “I am not afraid of anything. The most precious thing that can be taken from us is the life of our children. I will not give them my child’s life,” said a Muscovite, who declined to give her name. Asked if the protest would help, she said: “It won’t help, but it is my civic duty to express my position. No to war!” In Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, police bussed some of the 40 protesters arrested at an anti-war rally. A woman in a wheelchair shouted, referring to the Russian president: “Bald head job. He’s going to drop a bomb on us, and we’re all still protecting him. I’ve said enough.” The opposition Vesna movement called for protests, saying: “Thousands of Russian men – our fathers, brothers and husbands – will be thrown into the meat grinder of war. What will they die for? What will mothers and children cry?’ Moscow’s prosecutor’s office warned that organizing or participating in protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison. Authorities have issued similar warnings before other protests. Wednesday was the first nationwide anti-war demonstrations since the fighting began in late February. Other Russians responded by trying to leave the country, and flights out quickly became booked. In Armenia, Sergey arrived with his 17-year-old son, saying that they had prepared for such a scenario. Another Russian, Valery, said his wife’s family lives in Kyiv and that the mobilization was out of the question for him “just for the moral aspect”. Both men declined to give their last names. State communications watchdog Roskomnadzor warned media that access to their websites would be blocked for broadcasting “false information” about the mobilization. Residents in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, appeared dismayed at the mobilization as they watched emergency workers clear debris from Russian rocket attacks on two apartment blocks. “You just don’t know what to expect from him,” said 66-year-old Kharkiv resident Olena Milevska. “But you understand it’s something personal to him.” Calling for mobilization, Putin cited the length of the front line, which he said was more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles). He also said that Russia is effectively fighting the combined military power of Western countries. Western leaders said the mobilization was in response to recent Russian losses on the battlefield. President Joe Biden told the United Nations General Assembly that Putin’s new nuclear threats showed “reckless disregard” for Russia’s responsibilities as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Hours later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged world leaders at the gathering to strip Russia of its vote in international institutions and its veto in the UN Security Council, saying the aggressors must be punished and isolated. Speaking via video, Zelensky said his forces “can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it by force of arms. But we need time.” Putin did not attend the meeting. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said the mobilization meant the war was “getting worse, deepening, and Putin is trying to get as many people involved as possible. … It is done simply to let a person keep control of his personal power.” The partial mobilization order came two days before Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine plan to hold referendums on becoming part of Russia – a move that could allow Moscow to escalate the war. Voting begins Friday in Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions. Foreign leaders are already calling the votes illegal and non-binding. Zelensky said it was a “fake” and “noise” to distract the public. Michael Kofman, head of Russian studies at the CNA think tank in Washington, said Putin has bet his regime on war and that annexation “is a point of no return,” as is mobilization “to some extent.” “Partial mobilization affects everyone. And everyone in Russia understands … that they could be the next wave, and this is only the first wave,” Kofman said. Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, said only some of those with relevant combat and service experience would be mobilized. He said about 25 million people meet that criteria, but only about 1 percent of them will mobilize. It was unclear how many years of combat experience or what level of training the soldiers had to have to be mobilized. Another clause in the decree prohibits most professional soldiers from terminating their contracts until after partial enlistment. Putin’s mobilization game could backfire by making the war unpopular at home and damaging his own standing. He also admits Russia’s underlying military weaknesses. A Ukrainian counteroffensive this month seized the military initiative from Russia and captured large areas in Ukraine from Russian forces. The Russian mobilization is unlikely to have consequences on the battlefield for months due to a lack of training facilities and equipment. Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreskin said it looked like “an act of desperation”. “People will avoid this mobilization in any way possible, they will bribe to get out of this mobilization, they will leave the country,” he said. He described the announcement as “a huge personal blow to Russian citizens, who until recently (participated in hostilities) with pleasure, sitting on their couches, (watching) television.” And now the war has entered their home.” In his speech, Putin accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and cited alleged “statements by some high-ranking representatives of leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.” He did not provide further details. “When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all means at our disposal,” Putin said. In other developments, relatives of two US military veterans who disappeared while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces said they had been released after about three months in captivity. He was part of an exchange organized by Saudi Arabia of 10 prisoners from the US, Morocco, the UK, Sweden and Croatia. And in another announcement, Ukraine announced early Thursday that it had freed from Russia 215 Ukrainian and foreign citizens, including fighters who had been defending a besieged steel plant in the city of Mariupol for months. Zelensky released a video showing an official informing him of the release of civilians in exchange for pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 others held by Ukraine. —- Yesica Fisch in Kharkiv contributed to this story.
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