September 21, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear reference on Wednesday to his potential use of nuclear weapons, saying “those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds can turn in their direction.”

Announcing a partial mobilization of citizens to bolster the war in Ukraine, he emphasized that Russia has access to "various means of destruction."

“I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction and in some components more modern than those of the NATO countries,” he said. “And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people.”

In a 60 Minutes interview earlier this week, US President Joe Biden addressed concerns that Russia would resort to using its nuclear stockpile in Ukraine.

Asked by a reporter what he would say to the Russian leader regarding the use of chemical or tactical nuclear weapons, Biden said "Don't. Don't. Don't."

"You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II," Biden said, adding that the US response to such actions would be "consequential."

Germany's Economy Minister has denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of partial mobilization on Wednesday morning. 

The move is a "bad and a wrong development," Economy Minister Robert Habeck told journalists in Berlin.

The US Ambassador in Kyiv has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Wednesday morning as a sign of failure and vowed the United States would continue to support Ukraine’s resistance towards Russian aggression.

“The United States will never recognize Russia's claim to purportedly annexed Ukrainian territory, and we will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Brink added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilization follows moves Tuesday by Moscow's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, to amend the law on military service, toughening the punishment for violation of military service duties — such as desertion and evasion from service — according to state news agency TASS.

The bill sets a jail term of up to 15 years for resistance related to military service or coercion to violate an official military order, involving violence or the threat of it, during the period of mobilization or martial law.

State Duma deputies and senators have also prepared amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, proposing to introduce liability of up to five years of jail time for the destruction or negligent damage of weapons and military equipment during wartime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Deputies in the State Duma have introduced concepts of “mobilization,” “martial law,” “wartime,” and “armed conflict” into the Criminal Code of Russia, which will now be regarded as aggravating factors in criminal sentencing.

Though Putin’s announcement Wednesday stops short of a full large-scale draft, as some had predicted, it marks a significant movement in the conflict and provides Russia with broad powers to conscript its citizens with previous military experience.

It's not clear how many people with this background have already been mobilized.

Some context: Analysts have said Russia's military faces significant shortages of manpower.

In July, CNN reported that the call had gone out across Russia for more than 30,000 volunteers to join the war effort in Ukraine. The lure was big cash bonuses and no experience was necessary.

Russia is launching a partial mobilization of its citizens, President Vladimir Putin announced during a highly anticipated speech to the nation on Wednesday morning.

Efforts to begin partial mobilization will begin today, on Wednesday, Putin announced. He said that a decree on partial mobilization has already been signed.

“After the Kyiv regime actually publicly refused a peaceful solution to the Donbas problem today and, moreover, announced its claim to nuclear weapons, it became absolutely clear that a new next large-scale offensive in the Donbas, as it had already happened twice before, was inevitable.”

It is unclear what Putin is referring to with his mention of nuclear weapons.

At the start of a highly anticipated speech to the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday morning said that Western countries are seeking to destroy Russia.

Multiple Kremlin-backed authorities in occupied areas of eastern and southern Ukraine have announced they will hold referendums on formally joining Russia this week, in a move that threatens to redefine the parameters of the conflict.

The referendums could pave the way for Russian annexation of the areas, allowing Moscow to frame the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive there as an attack on Russia itself, thereby providing Moscow with a pretext to escalate its military response. 

The latest developments follow a significant shift in Russia's position after a sudden and successful Ukrainian offensive through most of occupied Kharkiv this month, which has galvanized Ukraine's Western backers and led to recriminations in Moscow. 

In what appeared to be a coordinated announcement, Russian-appointed leaders in the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic all said they planned to hold "votes" beginning on September 23. 

Together the four regions that have announced their referendum plans make up around 18% of Ukraine's territory. Russia does not control any of the four in their entirety. 

US condemns: US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield condemned the expected referendums during a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday, and reiterated the US would not recognize any attempt by Russia to "claim annexation of Ukraine's sovereign territory."

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the referendums would have no credibility and would not impact US support for Ukraine.

Russians support: The potential referendums have not been fully endorsed by the Kremlin, but the announcements have received swift support from Russian politicians. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has publicly endorsed referendums in the self-declared Donbas republics, saying this would have "huge significance" for "systemic protection" of the residents.

Medvedev, who is vice-chairman of Russia's National Security Council, said on his Telegram channel that once the republics were integrated into the Russian Federation, "not one future leader of Russia, not one official will be able to reverse these decisions."

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Multiple Kremlin-backed authorities in eastern and southern Ukraine have announced referendums on joining Russia will be held this week.

While previous plans for such a vote have been delayed, there was a flurry of announcements Tuesday from Russian-backed officials in occupied regions in Ukraine — all set on voting from Sept. 23 to Sept. 27.

Kherson: Russian-backed head of the Kherson administration, Vladimir Saldo, said he "signed a decree" for the referendum, which also established the procedure for organizing voting and "measures of administrative and criminal liability for violation of these rules." Parts of Kherson are on the front lines between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Luhansk People's Republic: The leader of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, also signed a law on a referendum. According to the text, "the Central Election Commission of the LPR will determine the results of the referendum on the Republic's entry into the LPR no later than five days after the last voting day," according to local media portal Lug-Info.

Donetsk People's Republic: The self-declared DPR agreed to hold a referendum and the head said he wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him for the rapid accession of the republic to the Russian Federation once a referendum is held.

Zaporizhzhia: The so-called National Congress of Citizens of the Zaporizhzhia Region has approved a referendum, said Vladimir Rogov, a senior pro-Russian official in occupied Zaporizhzhia. “Technically, we are ready. Security of polling stations is ensured. Our borders are reliably protected by the Russian military," said Yevgeniy Balitskiy, the Russian-appointed head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration

Ukrainian response: Ukrainian officials condemned these announcements. The Foreign Ministry said the “fake plebiscites” will not change the “administrative-territorial structure and internationally recognized borders of Ukraine.” The ministry called the vote “forced citizenship” of residents and said it is “another attempt of Russia to legitimize the consequences of its aggressive war against Ukraine.” 

Russian response: The announcements have received swift support from Russian politicians. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has publicly endorsed referenda in the self-declared Donbas republics, saying it will have "huge significance" for "systemic protection" of the residents. "Not one future leader of Russia, not one official will be able to reverse these decisions," he added.

US response: The Pentagon said that announcements are "simply an information operation that’s meant to distract from the difficult state that the Russian military currently finds itself in.” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield also condemned the moves on Tuesday.

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska in New York Tuesday.

According to a readout of their meeting, the Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed the war in Ukraine and efforts to avoid a global food crisis, including the implementation of the Black Sea Grain initiative.

With Zelenska, they also discussed the importance of protecting Ukrainian women and children affected by the war.

According to the readout, the Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s full support for continuing to provide humanitarian assistance.