Putin orders partial mobilisation after facing setbacks
Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling up thousands of extra troops to fight in Ukraine after suffering setbacks on the battlefield. Mr Putin said the partial mobilisation was necessary to ensure Russian territorial integrity. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it showed Mr Putin wanted to drown Ukraine in blood – including that of his own soldiers. The announcement applies to 300,000 military reservists. They make up a fraction of the about 25 million Russian reservists – people who have done their military service which is compulsory in Russia. The mobilisation is the first since World War II and comes after Ukraine made gains in a rapid counter-offensive this month, putting the Kremlin on the back foot. Ukrainian forces have recaptured key towns and villages in the northern Kharkiv region and have made a slower, but still significant progress in the southern Kherson region. Russia still holds about a fifth of the country. The decree is short on detail. It says nothin