(C) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
This story was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Central Asian Leaders Pledge Further Cooperation As Russian Influence Wanes [1]
["Rfe Rl'S Kyrgyz Service"]
Date: 2022-09
The URL has been copied to your clipboard
The code has been copied to your clipboard.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial military mobilization in Russia as his invasion of Ukraine nears seven months and Kyiv regains territory in its counteroffensive.
Putin also warned the West that "it's not a bluff" that Russia would use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Putin's address, broadcast to the nation on September 21, comes a day after Russian-occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on being incorporated into Russia, triggering outrage and condemnations not only in Kyiv but from much of the international community.
Putin's speech sparked protests across Russia later on September 21, including in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where police arrested scores of people.
In Moscow, demonstrators in the city center chanted "Life for our children."
Human rights group OVD-Info reported that 97 people were arrested. At least a dozen were arrested in the first minutes of a protest in Moscow, according to the Associated Press, which said its crew witnessed the arrests.
The independent news site Meduza said people were arrested at many demonstrations across Russia. It posted photos and videos of small groups of people holding protest signs at various locations.
Analysts say the Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes on the battlefield.
The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war, will start on September 23 in the Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Donetsk regions.
In his address, Putin accused the West of engaging in "nuclear blackmail" and claimed, without providing proof, that "high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states" had allegedly made statements "about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia."
"To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries. When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal," Putin said, adding, "It's not a bluff."
Putin said the partial mobilization was due to start immediately on September 21.
"We are talking about partial mobilization, that is only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience," Putin said.
Putin said his aim was to "liberate" east Ukraine's Donbas region, claiming without providing any proof that most people in the region did not want to return to what he called the "yoke" of Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised interview on September 21 that only those with relevant combat and service experience would be mobilized and not conscripts or students.
He said 5,937 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine so far, a fraction of Western and Ukrainian estimates of Russian military losses.
WATCH: Ukrainian security services say "people were tortured" by Russian troops at a local police station in the recently liberated city of Kupyansk.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described Putin's mobilization announcement as "an admission that his invasion is failing."
"He and his defense minister have sent tens of thousands of their own citizens to their deaths, ill-equipped and badly led," Wallace said in a statement. "No amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war, the international community are united, and Russia is becoming a global pariah."
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Putin's mobilization order was a sign of panic at the Kremlin that should not be taken as a direct threat of full-out war with the West.
"The mobilization, calling for referenda in the Donetsk -- it is all a sign of panic. His rhetoric on nuclear weapons is something we have heard many times before, and it leaves us cold," Rutte told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been the target of international criticism at the UN General Assembly in New York.
U.S. President Joe Biden used his speech at the the global forum on September 21 to say that Russia has “shamelessly violated the core tenets” of the UN with its “brutal, needless war” in Ukraine.
With reporting by dpa, AFP, Reuters, and AP
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asian-leaders-pledge-cooperation-russia-waning-influence/31953762.html
Published and (C) by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Content appears here under this condition or license: By permission of RFE/RL.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/rferl/
