Putin's address to the nation comes a day after Russian-controlled regions in Ukraine announced their plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia. The Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war.
The president had said that he has already signed a decree on the partial mobilization, which is due to start on Wednesday.
Meaning of partial mobilization in Russia
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu explained that Putin's decree on partial mobilization would see 300,000 additional personnel called up to serve in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
“Russia has huge resources, 25 million people, of whom 300,000 reserves will be called up," Shoigu said as quoted by Reuters.
He said that students and those who served as conscripts would not be called up, and that the majority of Russia's millions-strong reserves would not be drafted.
Putin's partial mobilisation significantly escalates the conflict over Ukraine and comes as Russia battles a Ukrainian counter-offensive that has forced its troops to retreat and surrender some occupied territory.
Purpose of partial mobilization
Putin further highlighted the purpose of partial mobilization in the country, saying that the time has come for Russia to disintegrate and counter the threats issued by Ukraine.
“The purpose of this West is to weaken, divide and ultimately destroy our country. They are already saying that in 1991 they were able to break up the Soviet Union, and now the time has come for Russia itself, that it should disintegrate. And they have been planning it for a long time," he said.
He said that the decision has been taken to protect the country (Russia), its people, its sovereignty and territorial integrity which will ensure the security of people in the liberated territories.
Ahead of Putin's speech, in an apparently coordinated move on Tuesday, Moscow-installed leaders in occupied areas of four Ukrainian regions announced plans to hold referendums on joining Russia in coming days.
The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war that began on Feb. 24, will start Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
Putin warns Ukraine
The Russian President also warned the West that "it's not a bluff" that Russia will use all the means to protect its territory.
The Russian President accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail" and said “statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia", according to AP reports.
"To those countries who make such statements regarding Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction. And to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal," Putin warned.
Russia's losses in Ukraine war
A total of 5,937 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine so far. Western estimates of Russian military losses stand at tens of thousands, informed Russian Defence Minister Shoigu.
Notably, this is the third time that Shoigu released the Russian military death toll numbers to the public. The last update came in late March, when the Defense Ministry claimed 1,351 Russian soldiers were killed in Ukraine.
(With inputs from agencies)
