Following up on the announcement of partial mobilisation, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of ‘nuclear blackmail’, citing the Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. 

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of endangering the plant as the war moves into its seventh month. The Eurasian nation invaded Ukraine on February 24 earlier this year, calling it a ‘special military operation.’ On Wednesday, Russia said that a technical water pipe at the plant had been damaged by a large-caliber shell. The plant is currently occupied by Russian troops. 

Putin has accused NATO nations, some of which have been supplying arms and ammunition to Ukraine, of trying to destroy Russia. The Russian President’s response in his Wednesday address was that his country would use “all resources we have to defend our people,” alluding to the country’s nuclear stockpile. 

He added, “It’s not a bluff.”

Following Putin’s address, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said that 300,000 reservists would be called upon, from the 25 million that the country has. 

Putin’s announcement comes just a day after pro-Russian leaders in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces collectively announced their decision to call for referendums to join Russia. The provinces account for 15% of Ukrainian territory. 

Ukrainian forces managed to push out Russian elements from captured northeastern territories in a counter-offensive this month, inflicting heavy casualties. Some Russian forces are currently bogged down in the south of Ukraine. 

The Putin-led nation already considers Luhansk and Donestsk to be independent states. Russia had partially occupied the two areas, which make up the Donbas region back in 2014.

The country’s armed forces had managed to capture 60% of Donetsk in July and nearly all of Luhansk after months of intense fighting. But all of that is threatened by the Ukrainian counter-offensive after Russia was driven from the neighbouring province Kharkiv earlier this month. They have now lost control of their major supply lines to the Donbas region frontlines.