Vladimir Putin declares a partial mobilisation

time since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a sense of emergency has returned to Moscow. For seven months Vladimir Putin had reassured Russians that all was going to plan. But in a speech on September 21st, after weeks of Ukrainian advances, he told them he needed more men. Russia, he said, was under attack from the entire West. It required “partial mobilisation” to defend both itself and the people of territories it had occupied in Ukraine, who were begging to be absorbed into Russia. And he threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia from what he termed the West’s efforts to destroy it.The choreography of Mr Putin’s speech was rushed. On September 20th officials from Kremlin-installed governments in occupied Ukraine demanded that Russia annex them. Within hours Russia’s parliament backed their appeal. The territories announced that referendums on annexation, postponed during Ukraine’s counter-offensive, would be held from September 23rd-27th. Meanwhile the Duma passed legislation paving the way for partial mobilisation. Mr Putin’s speech, announced for the evening, was delayed until the next morning without explanation.