As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia has announced its intent to intensify its special military operation in the region.
President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial mobilization of Russian military forces. Putin said the Defense Ministry had recommended drawing military reservists into active service as the country faces and protracted conflict in the Ukraine and Donbas.
Putin says the measure is necessary because Russia is fighting "the entire western military machine in Ukraine".
Putin further accused Ukraine of backing away from a deal that was in the making to end the war, after certain compromises were reached, however, Kyiv received a de facto direct order to derail all agreements and more weapons were pumped into Ukraine.
The Kyiv regime deployed more gangs of international mercenaries and nationalist military units trained to NATO standards and under the de facto command of Western advisors.
I want to remind those who allow themselves such statements about Russia that our country also has a variety of weapons of destruction, and in some areas even more modern than those in NATOO countries..
Russian President, Vladimir Putin
Putin is referring to negotiations that gained momentum following the start of the war in February, during which the West, headed by the United States, pressured Kyiv to quit the talks.
The West saw the war as an opportunity to contain Russia, in other words, the United States and its allies capitalized on Moscow's moves in Ukraine to settle their long running differences with the Kremlin.
They then began pouring military hardware into Eastern Europe and Ukraine; the United States has already given billions of dollars of military aid to Ukraine and has encouraged the leaders in Ukraine to keep up the fight at the expense of their own people.
Ukraine has now turned into a battleground used by the United States and its allies in their fight against Russia.
During his speech, President Putin also commented on the upcoming referendums and the two Donbas republics and two regions of Ukraine currently controlled, to a large extent, by Russian troops.
They are putting to a general vote a proposal to ask Moscow to accept them as new parts of the Russian Federation. In February, Russia recognized the two Donbas regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as sovereign republics.
We cannot, we have no moral right to hand over our loved ones to the executioners. We cannot fail to respond to their sincere desire to determine their own fate. The parliaments of Donbas People’s Republics, as well as civil-military administrations of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions have decide on holding referendums to determine the future of these territories and asked us, Russia, for support.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin
However, Kyiv lost de facto control of both regions in 2014 when the local populations rejected the outcome of the Western backed Maidan Coup, but it now appears that they are set to join Russia, which will further increase tensions.
It is believed that Russia's partial mobilization is to prepare for the possible fallout of that decision.
I think the referendum will be for the best. Yes, that there will be water and electricity, and people will feel like they are on their native land. Someone is thinking about us.
Resident of Contested Region
Russia took control of the strategic Crimea peninsula following a referendum in 2014.
Ukraine, backed by the West, has made some inroads into the territories held by Russia. Ukraine's counter offensive has seen Kyiv recapture the first village in Luhansk. They are also making inroads into the Kharkov region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that the Russian invaders are now in "panic" mode, but Russia has not given any indication that it is prepared to accept Kiev’s demands for a full withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, including areas seized in 2014.
It now appears that the confrontation between Russia and the West, which, for all intents and purposes started with the fall of the Berlin Wall, has entered a new phase.
There are now concerns that the crisis may develop into a nuclear war between the global powers.