UK govt issues first response after Vladimir Putin renews Ukraine war; makes massive claim

Putin's "breaking of promises" not to mobilise people in Russia and "illegal annexation" of Ukrainian territory demonstrate that the Russian "invasion is failing", asserted UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. In a statement issued in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement regarding partial mobilization in Russia, Wallace on Wednesday stated that Putin and Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu's decision has "sent thousands of their citizens to their deaths."

"President Putin’s breaking of his own promises not to mobilise parts of the population and the illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine are an admission that his invasion is failing. He and his defence minister have sent tens of thousands of their own citizens to their deaths, ill-equipped and badly led," Wallace said in a statement. 

Stressing that no amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war,  he said the international community are united and "Russia is becoming a global pariah". Ben Wallace's response comes after Russian President Putin in his address to the nation announced a partial mobilization in Russia. Putin issued the statement a day after Russian-occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced their plans to hold a referendum on joining Russia. 

Tony Brenton, the former UK ambassador to Russia, has termed Putin's partial mobilization announcement a "pretty significant escalation" of the war with Ukraine. Speaking to Sky News, Brenton emphasised that Russia did not earlier mobilise as "Putin was worried about the effect on Russian public opinion." He claimed that Putin has listened to the advice of the military and issued a statement regarding "nuclear threat in the context of alleged nuclear threats from the West." Tony Brenton termed Putin's statement a "very significant step up in the rhetoric that is going on." 

US terms mobilization as 'signs of weakness & Russian failure'

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget A Brink has termed Putin's announcement regarding mobilization as "signs of weakness and Russian failure." She underscored that the US will not consider Russia's claim to annex Ukrainian territory and will continue to support Ukraine. Earlier on 20 September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said, "If Russia does stage these sham “referenda”, the United States and the international community will never recognise Russia’s claims to any purportedly-annexed parts of Ukraine. We continue to stand with the people of Ukraine."

Image: AP