Putin Announces Major Escalation in Ukraine

In a televised address to his nation this morning, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced his support for occupied regions of Ukraine to join Russia, ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists and admonished the West for supplying Ukraine with superior weapons. (RELATED: More Russian Collusion From the Left as Two Black Nationalist Groups Exposed as Part of Kremlin Scheme)

He also made a veiled threat about using nuclear weapons.

The speech marked a dramatic escalation of the six-month war that the Kremlin still refers to as a “special military operation,” as The New York Times reports:

In a rare videotaped address to the nation, Mr. Putin stopped short of declaring a full, national draft but instead called for a “partial mobilization” of people with military experience. Though Moscow's troops have recently suffered humiliating losses on the battlefield, he said that Russia's goals in Ukraine had not changed and that the move was “necessary and urgent” because the West had “crossed all lines” by providing sophisticated weapons to Ukraine.

The speech was an apparent attempt to reassert his authority over an increasingly chaotic war that has undermined his leadership both at home and on the global stage. It also escalated Russia's tense showdown with Western nations that have bolstered Ukraine with weapons, money and intelligence that have contributed to Ukraine's recent successes in reclaiming swaths of territory in the northeast.

Mr. Putin accused the United States and Europe of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” against his country and warned that Russia had “lots of weapons” of its own.

“To those who allow themselves such statements about Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and some components are more modern than those of the NATO countries,” he said.

Putin was supposed to address his people Tuesday night, but his remarks were repeatedly delayed until Russian state television announced they had been postponed until Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Moscow time. (RELATED: Does Biden Care More About Guilty Anti-American Athlete in Russia Than Falsely Accused Marine?)

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said only reservists with professional military experience would be called upon. Students and conscripts who have already served in Ukraine will not be mobilized.

CNBC reports this morning that flight prices out of Russia have soared — as much as nine times the average price — according to Google tracked prices features:

A large number of countries have placed bans on planes landing directly from Russia, including the U.S., the U.K., and most of mainland Europe. But there are countries considered sympathetic to Russia that would allow people to travel across — and flights to those nations are extortionate and rapidly selling out. 

Direct flights from Moscow to the Turkish city of Istanbul and Yerevan in Armenia sold out on Wednesday, according to Aviasales data, as reported by Reuters.

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