Putin ups the ante: Russian President calls in 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine

In a speech on September 21, President Putin announced that Russian reservists will be conscripted into the country's armed forces, in an attempt to bolster his flailing military campaign in Ukraine.

In his speech Putin said the decision is to help "protect our Motherland and our territorial integrity."

The Russian President justified this extraordinary step by blaming the hostilities in Ukraine. Mr Putin said the West “is trying to tear apart and destroy Russia” and is pushing Kyiv to “move the hostilities to Russian territory”.

Putin has hardened his stance, as requested by  Kremlin advisers, but he did not utter the word "war" in his speech. Officially, a "special military operation" is still in force in Ukraine.

Mr. Putin once again justified his choice to invade Ukraine in the speech saying it was “the only possible solution” to security threats Russia faced.

The Telegraph reported that Putin claimed that the West is threatening Russia with nuclear weapons. However, Mr. Putin said there is no need to worry,  “Russian citizens can be sure that our independence and freedom will be secure”.

So far Putin has avoided making a general mobilization, nonetheless, partial mobilization means a lot of Russian civilians will be called upon to fight in Ukraine.

The Russia's defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, announced shortly after the speech that 300,000 people will be conscripted into the armed forces to take part in the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.

The BBC reported Mr. Shoigu assured the public that 300,000 only represent a small fraction of Russia's available resources. He also added that students, and those who had already served conscripts would not be called upon to serve.

Many including the UK's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace believe that Putin's decision to mobilize military reservists is a clear sign that Russia is losing the war in Ukraine. Mr. Wallace said in a tweet, "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."

Putin's speech and his call for partial mobilization respond to internal turmoil after recent Russian defeats, in which the country has lost ground in Ukraine. There is a faction that wants Putin to declare war and mobilize the entire young population yet others seem to think it is time for Russia to pull out of Ukraine.

In addition, according to media such as The New York Times, Putin said Russia gives its full support to the referendums announced for the weekend of September 24/25  in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to join the Russian Federation.

The BBC reported that Putin claims that the civilians living in areas of Ukraine under Russian control do not want to be "under the yoke of neo-Nazis".

Should Russia, through these highly questionable referendums, officially annex these occupied areas, any attack would be a direct attack on Russia. Which could eventually lead to a declaration of war in the name of "self-defense".

Be that as it may, Putin's commitment to increase the military presence in Ukraine means the conflict won't be ending any time soon. Peace is further away.

As much as the leaders from China, India or Turkey (Putin's allies) have made calls these days to lower the level of the conflict and reach agreements, Putin has not listened.

According to The New York Times, these latest moves by Putin have been described as sheer "desperation" by the Ukrainian authorities.

Ukrainian forces have regained ground in a surprising offensive. Something that has provoked unprecedented internal criticism. Even on Russian television there have been those who have spoken of obvious military "mistakes".

The mobilization of reservists means that Russian society will feel the effects of the war directly in their homes, with forced recruitment of loved ones. Until now, people only went to Ukraine on a voluntary basis.

The summary of Putin's speech is simple: Russia doesn't plan on backing down in the Ukraine  and Putin refuses be intimidated by the West.