Russia calls up its reservists

In what could potentially be a move towards further escalation of hostilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called up to 3 lakh reservists to fight in Ukraine as well as backed a plan to annex parts of the country. This would be the first time that the country called up reserve forces ever since the Second World War. It also signifies the biggest escalation ever since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Russia has recently experienced multiple setbacks in the battlefield, been driven from areas they had captured in northeast Ukraine.

The Russian President stated in his address to the nation, “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will use all available means to protect our people – this is not a bluff.” Russia had lots of weapons to respond, he stated. Mr Putin also accused NATO officials of making statements about “the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia- nuclear weapons.” He added that Russia possessed various means of destruction, and in some components more modern than those of NATO countries.

Separately, about the nuclear threats, United States’ President Joe Biden at the United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA) reacted, stating that it amounted to “a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime.” He added that the Kremlin was organising a sham referendum to try and annex parts of Ukraine. He described it as an “extremely significant violation of the U.N. Charter”. “This world should see these outrageous acts for what they are. Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened. But no one threatened Russia, and no one other than Russia sought the conflict, “ he stated in his address.

According to him, the war was about “extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state” and right “to exist as a people.

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