Breaking News: Vladimir Putin Agreed To His Siloviki’s Demands For General Mobilization

NEW YORK (RichTVX.com) — We’ve got breaking news:  War is not the business only of armies but of nations. On 21 September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of military reservists in Russia. The decision was made a day after the announcement of referendums on the accession of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.^[4][5]  With the announcement of mobilization, Putin escalated Russia’s military efforts in the war with Ukraine. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia had a “huge mobilization reserve” and planned to mobilize 300,000 in reserve.^[6] The precise details of the mobilization plans are currently unclear, however, as the exact number of people to be mobilized is classified.^[7]  On 14 October 2022, Putin claimed that the partial mobilization would be completed “in about two weeks”.^[8] On October 28, Shoigu told Putin that mobilization had been completed.^[9] On 31 October, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a second statement regarding the completion of mobilization, in which it reported that draft notices were no longer being handed out.^[10][11] On 31 October 2022, Putin announced that mobilization had “definitely” been completed.^[12][9] It has been speculated that officially, mobilization will only end after Putin signs the relevant decree, but Putin himself has questioned this point of view.^[13] On 1 November 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated that mobilization had been completed and stated that a decree was not needed to end mobilization.^[14] General mobilization does not apply only to the fighting Russian troops but also to the civil population in Russia behind them. Russian women, as well as men, are affected. Those who can be classed as “рабочие” according to Russian classification may perform certain army duties in peace, under conditions laid down by law; and in time of war they can be called upon to perform special services of a military nature. According to military sources, Vladimir V. Putin of Russia agreed to his Siloviki’s demands for general mobilization—against both Ukraine and NATO. The deadline is January 23, 2023.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has likely resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and caused Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II,^[10][11] with an estimated 8 million people being displaced within the country by late May as well as 7.8 million Ukrainians fleeing the country as of 8 November 2022.^{[12][13][14][15]} Within five weeks of the invasion, Russia experienced its greatest emigration since the 1917 October Revolution.^[16] The invasion has also caused global food shortages.^[17][18]

Following the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, Russia annexed Crimea, and Russian-backed paramilitaries seized part of the Donbas region of south-eastern Ukraine, which consists of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, sparking a regional war.^[19][20] In March 2021, Russia began a large military build-up along its border with Ukraine, eventually amassing up to 190,000 troops and their equipment. Despite the build-up, denials of plans to invade or attack Ukraine were issued by various Russian government officials up to the day before the invasion.^[24] On 21 February 2022, Russia recognised the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, two self-proclaimed breakaway quasi-states in the Donbas.^[25] The next day, the Federation Council of Russia authorised the use of military force and Russian troops entered both territories.^[26]

The invasion began on the morning of 24 February,^[27] when Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation”^[28] aiming for the “demilitarisation” and “denazification” of Ukraine.^[29][30] In his address, Putin espoused irredentist views,^[31] challenged Ukraine’s right to statehood,^[32][33] and falsely^[34] claimed Ukraine was governed by neo-Nazis who persecuted the ethnic Russian minority.^[35] Minutes later, missiles, rockets and airstrikes hit across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, followed by a large ground invasion from multiple directions.^[36][37] Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted martial law and a general mobilisation.^[38][39] Russian attacks were initially launched on a northern front from Belarus towards Kyiv, a north-eastern front towards Kharkiv, a southern front from Crimea, and a south-eastern front from Luhansk and Donetsk.^[40][41] Russia’s advance towards Kyiv stalled in March, with Russian troops retreating from the northern front by April. On the southern and south-eastern fronts, Russia captured Kherson in March and then Mariupol in May after a siege. On 19 April, Russia launched a renewed attack on the Donbas region, with Luhansk Oblast fully captured by 3 July.^[42] Russian forces continued to bomb both military and civilian targets far from the frontline.^[43][44] Ukrainian forces launched counteroffensives in the south in August, and in the northeast in September, successfully recapturing the majority of Kharkiv Oblast. Soon after, Russia announced the illegal annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian oblasts. In the course of the southern counteroffensive, Ukraine retook the city of Kherson in November.

The invasion has received widespread international condemnation. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the invasion and demanding a full withdrawal of Russian forces.^[45] The International Court of Justice ordered Russia to suspend military operations and the Council of Europe expelled Russia. Many countries imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as on its ally Belarus, which have affected the economies of Russia and the world,^[46] and provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine,^[47] totalling over $80B from 40 countries as of August 2022.^[48] Protests occurred around the world; those in Russia were met with mass arrests and increased media censorship,^[49][50] including a ban on the words “war” and “invasion”.^[37][51] Over 1,000 companies have pulled out of Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion.^[52] The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into crimes against humanity in Ukraine since 2013, including war crimes in the 2022 invasion.^[53]