Putin announces 'partial mobilization' of 300,000 Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine


Russian media on Wednesday broadcast a pre-recorded speech from Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a "partial mobilization" of military reservists for his war in Ukraine, effective immediately. "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," he said. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, speaking after Putin, said about 300,000 reservists will be called up.
Shoigu tried to "dampen down the fears of Russian men across the country about this sudden 'partial mobilization' to Ukraine," BBC Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford writes. But despite his assurances, "the war that many Russians have been trying, largely, to ignore, has now been brought much closer to home for tens of thousands of them."
"Putin's gambit has a strong element of risk — it could backfire, by making the Ukraine war unpopular at home and hurting his own standing, and it exposes Russia's underlying military shortcomings" while providing no boost on the battlefield for months, The Associated Press notes. Russia's stock market took a dive after Putin's announcement. Russians started searching for ways to get out of the country as soon as rumors of the speech spread Tuesday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Putin's mobilization bombshell capped a speech in which he blamed the West for his invasion, welcomed the upcoming "referendums" in four Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, and threatened NATO countries with nuclear retaliation. "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 — this is not a bluff," he said. "Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds can turn in their direction."
"The threat is clear," The Economist's Oliver Carroll tweeted. "'We will annex Ukrainian territories with bombs and referenda. If you try to take them back, we reserve the right to nuke you.' Fundamentally, doesn't change much on the battlefield. The aim, I'd suggest, is to test Western support of Ukraine."
"Putin's breaking of his own promise not to mobilize parts of his population" is an "admission that his invasion is failing," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace responded. "No amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war" and "Russia is becoming a global pariah."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 6, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - public health cuts, Trump's international tariffs, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 triple threat cartoons about Trump's third term
Cartoons Artists take on the 22nd Amendment, Barack Obama, and more
By The Week US Published
-
School disputes: a police matter?
Talking Point Cowley Hill lodged a police complaint against parents who criticised its recruiting process for a new head
By The Week UK Published
-
What's behind Russia's biggest conscription drive in years?
Today's Big Question Putin calls up 160,000 men, sending a threatening message to Ukraine and Baltic states
By Genevieve Bates Published
-
Is the 'coalition of the willing' going to work?
Today's Big Question PM's proposal for UK/French-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine provokes 'hostility' in Moscow and 'derision' in Washington
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's spies: skulduggery in Great Yarmouth
In the Spotlight 'Amateurish' spy ring in Norfolk seaside town exposes the decline of Russian intelligence
By The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine: where do Trump's loyalties really lie?
Today's Big Question 'Extraordinary pivot' by US president – driven by personal, ideological and strategic factors – has 'upended decades of hawkish foreign policy toward Russia'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
What will Trump-Putin Ukraine peace deal look like?
Today's Big Question US president 'blindsides' European and UK leaders, indicating Ukraine must concede seized territory and forget about Nato membership
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's disappearing army
Under the Radar Every day unwilling conscripts and disillusioned veterans are fleeing the front
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's mercenaries fighting against Ukraine
The Explainer Young men lured by high salaries and Russian citizenship to enlist for a year are now trapped on front lines of war indefinitely
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine-Russia: are both sides readying for nuclear war?
Today's Big Question Putin changes doctrine to lower threshold for atomic weapons after Ukraine strikes with Western missiles
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published