A draft, condemnation and mass graves: The week's key events in Ukraine's war with Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin sparked chaos this week through an unusual televised speech Wednesday, announcing plans to retaliate against Ukraine's successful counteroffensive.
Putin's speech -- full of announcements and accusations -- prompted world leaders, including President Joe Biden, to condemn Putin and Russia's plan to escalate the war it initiated with its neighbor after invading Ukraine months before.
Here's a look at the week's key events:
Putin escalates war, announcing partial mobilization
Putin announced a partial military mobilization in a rare, televised address Wednesday in response to Ukraine’s aggressive counteroffensive, which has successfully pushed Russian troops back towards their country.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said 300,000 individuals of the 25 million reserves would be called up for military service under Putin’s latest plan. The declaration of a partial mobilization stated that only Russians who are currently in the reserve are subjected to conscription. The reservists were immediately called upon following Putin’s speech.
Putin placed responsibility for his latest move on the West, saying in his speech that Russia was not only fighting Ukraine but the entire Western world as well.
The announcement sparked protests in Russia that began in the in the Siberian and Transbaikal regions shortly after Putin’s announcement and spread to the Ural Mountains and European parts of Russia throughout the night. The protests resulted in a string of arrests and an increased plane ticket prices and long lines at border crossings into countries that do not require visas.
Russian draft: At anti-war protests in Russia, fears for the drafted as 'cannon fodder' and a brutal response by police
Putin threatens nuclear retaliation
In the same speech Wednesday, Putin accused Western nations of nuclear blackmail, blaming Ukraine and its allies for the attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – Europe’s largest – despite previous Ukrainian warnings of “nuclear terrorism” after a Russian missile struck near the plant Monday.
The Russian president also accused NATO countries of considering using nuclear weapons against Russia.
"I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and ... to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said. “It’s not a bluff.”
Fear of nuclear disaster: Ukraine warns of ‘nuclear terrorism’ after strike near plant
The Kremlin moves to annex Ukrainian regions
Referendum voting in four Ukrainian territories under Russian-control – Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk – began Friday after weeks of discussion. While the votes were not expected to take place until later in the year, Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive seemingly rushed the Kremlin’s timeline.
If any of the territories, especially the Donbas region, vote to join Russia it will likely hinder any possible talks between Ukraine and Russia. Success with the referendums would result in "irreversible" redrawn borders, said Dmitry Medvedev, former president and current deputy head of Russia's Security Council. Medvedev also warned that the Kremlin could use "any means" to defend the new boundaries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the referendums as “noise,” thanking allies for condemning the votes.
Biden condemns Russian invasion, calls Putin ‘reckless’
Biden further condemned Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine in an address to the United Nations Wednesday following Putin’s speech. Biden accused Putin of “reckless” behavior and encouraged the world to stand against the Kremlin’s attempt to “erase a sovereign state.”
“This world should see these outrageous acts for what they are. Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened. But no one threatened Russia, and no one other than Russia sought conflict,” Biden said. “In fact, we warned it was coming. And with many of you, we worked to try to avert it.”
Biden rallies nations: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should 'make your blood run cold,' Biden tells other nations as Putin scales up
Mass grave found in Izyum, bodies suggest torture
More than 440 bodies have been exhumed from a mass grave found in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Izyum and many show evidence of being tortured, according to Ukrainian investigators. Investigators and emergency workers also found what officials described as torture chambers in the Kharkiv region.
Investigators also found additional mass burials surrounding the grave site after Ukraine’s counteroffensive liberated the city and surrounding areas. Most of the graves are for civilians, including children, according to officials.
The mass gave in Izyum is the third one Ukrainian officials have discovered after Russian troops occupied cities, including in Bucha and Mariupol.
What Russia left behind in Kharkiv: Mass graves, suspected torture chambers and rubble
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russian draft and mass graves found in Ukraine: Putin's war this week
