GLOBAL In light of Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday declared a partial military mobilization in Russia, placing its citizens and economy on a wartime footing. Putin reiterated prior assertions that Western countries were responsible for initiating a proxy war with Russia in a rare pre-recorded television address, saying the West “wants to destroy our country” and attempting to “convert Ukraine’s people into military fodder.” Putin announced that “mobilization events” would start on Wednesday without providing any additional information, other than to say that he had ordered an increase in funding to boost Russia’s ability to produce weapons after committing (and losing) a significant amount of weaponry during the conflict, which started in late February.
Although the idea of a partial mobilization is vague, it could require additional support from Russian companies and residents. Despite invading Ukraine in February and calling it a “special military operation,” Russia has not yet declared war on it. Putin stated that military reservists will be called up for active duty but stressed there was no larger conscription of Russian males of combat age. Putin’s remarks come as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started in late February, enters the winter season and momentum seems to be shifting in Ukraine’s favor after it launched lightning-fast counteroffensives in the northeast and south to regain lost territory. Following the announcement of plans to hold immediate referendums on joining Russia by Moscow-installed officials in occupied areas of Ukraine, speculation increased Tuesday that Putin may be about to announce a full or partial mobilization of the Russian economy and society, opening the door for potential conscription of Russian men of fighting age.
The idea of holding such elections was roundly denounced by the Ukrainian government and its Western supporters, who declared they would not accept the results and any attempts to seize further of Ukraine, as Russia did with Crimea in 2014. Putin stated on Wednesday that he had instructed the government to grant legal status to volunteers fighting in the Donbas, according to Reuters. The Donbas is a territory in eastern Ukraine where two self-declared republics that support Russian interests exist. A partial mobilization will have minimal impact on the battlefield in the immediate future, according to Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, on Wednesday. And how is Putin going to re-equip soldiers that are currently being put through the meat grinder in Ukraine while arming these 300,000 additional troops? Ash asked in email comments. “The partial mobilization plus the declaration of the referendum in the seized territory are aimed more for external consumption, for Ukraine and its Western friends,” Ash continued, “to communicate that Putin is still in this for the long haul, but that he wants to talk.”
