Putin announces a partial military mobilization for Russian citizen

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "partial mobilization" of Russia's armed forces on Wednesday morning

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Signing a decree that will send Russians who have gone through military training to join the fight in Ukraine while stopping short of an all-out draft.

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The announcement came just a day after some Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine announced plans for referendums on becoming part of Russia.

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Putin's Wednesday announcement also came as his country has struggled to replenish its fighting force in Ukraine and suffered setbacks on the battlefield amid a surging Ukrainian counteroffensive.

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"Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened," the president said. "No one threatened Russia. And no one other than Russia sought conflict."

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The Russian leader also insisted Russia had a moral obligation to protect civilians in partially Russian-occupied portions of Ukraine as they held a series of "referendums" aimed at joining the Russian Federation later this week.

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The defense minister also provided new figures on Russian casualties — saying 5,937 Russian soldiers had died fighting in Ukraine. Western estimates run much higher.

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