Russia will call up 300,000 military reservists to fight in the war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced.
Look back on Wednesday's updates.
Key events
- EU says Vladimir Putin's moves will have 'consequences from our part'
- Categories exempt from call-up to be determined soon, Kremlin says
- Latvia says it won't offer refuge to Russians fleeing mobilisation
- Putin undermining 'fiction that Russia is neither in a war nor a national crisis', UK Ministry of Defence says
- Australia 'deeply concerned' by decision to mobilise reservists, DFAT says
- Putin speech shows invasion of Ukraine is 'failing', British Defence Secretary says
- Ukraine says Russia's mobilisation was 'predictable', shows war effort failing
Live updates
By Bridget Judd
Stay up to date with the latest news
This is where we'll have to leave our live blog for this evening, but thanks for following along.
You can catch up on Wednesday evening's developments below, or download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest news.
By Bridget Judd
Flights out of Russia sell out after Putin orders military call-up
Google Trends data showed a spike in searches for Aviasales, which is Russia's most popular website for purchasing flights.
Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul in Turkey and Yerevan in Armenia, both destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out on Wednesday, according to Aviasales data.
Some routes with stopovers, including those from Moscow to Tbilisi, were also unavailable, while the cheapest flights from the capital to Dubai were costing more than 300,000 roubles ($7,413) — about five times the average monthly wage.
By Bridget Judd
What does Russia's partial military mobilisation mean in practice?
Basically, it means some 300,000 people would be called into service, according to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimates Russia to have around 2 million reservists, who are made up of people who have done mandatory military service.
But while Mr Putin's incendiary speech has sent shock waves across western nations, as the ABC's Nicholas McElroy writes, there are two issues that might provide more context on the gruelling war in Ukraine.
By Bridget Judd
Vice-Chancellor of Germany says plan to ramp up troops 'a bad and wrong step'
The partial mobilisation of troops is a further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine which the German government is considering its response to, Germany's vice chancellor says.
Robert Habeck says it is "another bad and wrong step from Russia, which of course we will discuss and consult on politically regarding how to respond".
By Bridget Judd
EU says support for Ukraine steadfast in face of Russian aggression
The European Union's support for Kyiv will remain steadfast in the face of Russian aggression, the president of the council representing the bloc's 27 member states says.
President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter from the UN General Assembly meetings in New York:
"Kremlin announces mobilization... while at UNGA countries work for cooperation, security and prosperity.
"In this war, there is only one aggressor, Russia, and one aggressed country, Ukraine," he said.
"EU's support to Ukraine will remain steadfast."
By Bridget Judd
Slovak Republic PM reiterates support for Ukraine's 'full territorial integrity'
Eduard Heger took to social media this evening to condemn Russia's "pseudo referendums on occupied territories of Ukraine", labelling it an "illegal annexation".
The partial mobilisation order comes a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia.
The referendums will start Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
By Bridget Judd
Situation in Russia being 'closely monitored' by 'well prepared' Finland
Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen says Finland is closely monitoring the situation in neighbouring Russia following Vladimir Putin's mobilisation order.
"Regarding Finland's surroundings, I can say that the military situation is stable and calm," Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen said.
"Our defence forces are well prepared and the situation is closely monitored."
By Bridget Judd
Vladimir Putin 'getting desperate' after mobilising Russian reservists
The ABC's Global Affairs Editor John Lyons says Vladimir Putin is a trapped bear in a cage of his own making.
You can catch up on the full interview below.
By Bridget Judd
EU says Vladimir Putin's moves will have 'consequences from our part'
European Union member states have been discussing joint action in response to the latest developments.
The bloc's executive has warned Moscow there will be "consequences from our part", but that there are no announcements to be made at this stage about further sanctions.
"The EU member states have already held a coordination meeting where discussions have been held in terms of an EU response to the continuation of the war of aggression against Ukraine," European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said.
"This includes all aspects of the aggression, the crimes that have been committed, the referenda, the discoveries of mass burial sites," he told a news briefing.
By Bridget Judd
It's been six months since Russia's last update on how many casualties it has suffered in Ukraine
But today the nation's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed less than 6,000 troops had been killed since the country invaded Ukraine.
He also said "90 per cent" of injured soldiers had returned to the frontline.
In March, Moscow said only 1,351 troops had died in action.
The US Pentagon said last month it believes between 70,000 and 80,000 Russian personnel had been killed or wounded, and in July estimated Russia's death toll at around 15,000.
By Bridget Judd
WATCH: Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia responds to Vladimir Putin's speech
Speaking to the ABC, Vasyl Myroshnychenko says the mobilisation announcement wasn't unexpected and "doesn't really change much for Ukraine".
But he expects there to be "a major push back" in Russia.
"I've seen a report today that says the most popular Google search in Russia these days is actually how to get out of Russia, how to avoid a conscription, and how to escape basically, this is what people are searching online the minute they've heard that statement," he says.
"So there will be a major push back on Vladimir Putin, so it's going to make him even weaker."
By Bridget Judd
Russian opposition calls for protests against Vladimir Putin's 'criminal war'
In response to this evening's developments, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says Vladimir Putin is sending more Russians to their death for a "failing war".
"It is clear that the criminal war is getting worse, deepening, and Putin is trying to involve as many people as possible in this," Navalny said in a video message from jail recorded and published by his lawyers, which was viewed by Reuters.
"He wants to smear hundreds of thousands of people in this blood."
Navalny, the highest-profile political foe of Mr Putin, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he had been recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
In March, he was sentenced to nine years in prison on fraud and contempt of court charges he rejected as politically motivated.
By Bridget Judd
Polish PM says Russia will attempt to destroy Ukraine and change its borders
Mateusz Morawiecki made the comments in response to the partial mobilisation announced by Moscow.
"We will do all we can with our allies, so that NATO supports Ukraine even more so that it can defend itself," the Polish PM said, urging more help for Kyiv from western allies.
By Bridget Judd
Ukrainian presidential advisor says 'life has a great sense of humour' after mobilisation announcement
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has taken aim at the announcement out of Russia, writing on social media: "Everything is still [going] according to the plan, right?"
"210th day of the 'three-day war'. Russians who demanded the destruction of 🇺🇦 ended up getting:
1. Mobilization.
2. Closed borders, blocking of bank accounts.
3. Prison for desertion.
Everything is still according to the plan, right? Life has a great sense of humor."
By Bridget Judd
Categories exempt from call-up to be determined soon, Kremlin says
The Russian government will announce "very soon" which categories of citizens will be exempted from a mobilisation of reservists with military experience to serve in Ukraine, the Kremlin says.
In comments to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the possibility of border closures to prevent citizens evading the call-up.
By Bridget Judd
Lithuania's Rapid Reaction Force is being put on high alert to 'prevent any provocation' from Russia
The nation's defence minister Arvydas Anušauskas made the announcement on social media a short time ago.
"As Russia's military mobilisation will also take place near our borders, (Kaliningrad region), Lithuania's Rapid Reaction Force is being put on high alert to prevent any provocation from Russia," he said in a tweet.
By Bridget Judd
Dutch PM says Russia's mobilisation a sign of the Kremlin's panic
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says it should not be taken as a direct threat of full-out war with the West.
"The mobilisation, calling for referenda in the Donetsk, it is all a sign of panic. His rhetoric on nuclear weapons is something we have heard many times before, and it leaves us cold," Mr Rutte told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
"It is all part of the rhetoric we know. I would advise to remain calm."
By Bridget Judd
Latvia says it won't offer refuge to Russians fleeing mobilisation
European Union member Latvia, which borders Russia, will not offer refuge to any Russians fleeing Moscow's mobilisation of troops, according to Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, who cited security concerns.
By Bridget Judd
Putin undermining 'fiction that Russia is neither in a war nor a national crisis', UK Ministry of Defence says
The UK's Ministry of Defence says Vladimir Putin is accepting a greater political risk by "undermining the fiction" that Russia is neither "in a war nor a national crisis".
In a thread on social media outlining some of the recent developments, it noted that Russian forces in Ukraine are experiencing troop shortages.
This week, Russia amended a new law which extends punishments for defaulting troops, "likely intended to limit the number of desertions and refusals and thereby to mitigate some of the immediate pressures", the MoD says.
"The Russian civilian and military leadership has faced significant pressure over the last two weeks. These new measures have highly likely been brought forwards due to public criticism and mark a further development in Russia’s strategy," it wrote.
"Putin is accepting greater political risk by undermining the fiction that Russia is neither in a war nor a national crisis in the hope of generating more combat power."
By Bridget Judd
Partial mobilisation a sign war in Ukraine 'is going to be probably a matter of years'
William Partlett, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, says the mobilisation is another signal the war is likely to be a matter of years, not months.
"How much is it going to really change things? We don't know that yet. But the Western allies and Ukrainians will look at what this will do to the frontline and change the war and what it will do as the war continues.
"And it looks like it's another sign the war is going to be probably a matter of years, not a matter of months, before it finishes."
