Vladimir Putin declares ‘partial mobilisation’ as he backs call for separatist referenda

Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation on Wednesday morning, in a fresh order for his nation’s reserves.

In a rare national address, the Russian president also backed the call for referenda from the separatist territories in Ukraine.

“We are talking about partial mobilisation, that is, 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 speciality and relevant experience,” Mr Putin said.

He also accused the west of “nuclear blackmail” during his address.

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