Vladimir Putin orders partial military call-up and says he won't 'bluff' on nukes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists, taking a risky and deeply unpopular step that follows humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.

Even a partial mobilisation is likely to increase dismay or sow doubt among Russians about the war. Shortly after Putin's address, Russian media reported a sharp spike in demand for plane tickets abroad amid an apparent scramble to leave despite exorbitant prices."Thousands of Russian men — our fathers, brothers and husbands — will be thrown into the meat grinder of the war. What will they be dying for? What will mothers and children be crying for?" the group said.

Putin's speech is "definitely a sign that he's struggling, and we know that", US national security council spokesperson John Kirby said.People look out from a window of a residential building that was damaged after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Another key clause in the decree prevents most professional soldiers from terminating their contracts and leaving service until the partial mobilisation is no longer in place.Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been the target of broad international criticism at the UN General Assembly that has kept up intense diplomatic pressure on Moscow. Zelenskky is due to speak to the gathering in a prerecorded address later Wednesday. Putin is not attending.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Sergii Nikiforov said conscripts sent to Ukraine would face a similar fate as ill-prepared Russian forces who were repelled in an attack on Kyiv in the first days of the war.

He looks drugged.

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