Putin is mobilising 300,000 more soldiers to fight his war. But Ukrainians feel hope, not fear

‘On the day of Vladimir Putin’s speech, around 1,300 people were detained across Russia for protesting against the call for new recruits.’ Police clash with demonstrators in St Petersburg, Russia, 21 September. Photograph: Anatoly Maltsev/EPA

In his speech on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin announced that the Kremlin would be mobilising 300,000 military reservists to serve in Ukraine. He insisted that Russia was merely defending itself and its territories – and that the west did not want to see peace in Ukraine. Paradoxically, the response of many Ukrainians to Putin’s speech was relief – and even hope.

For all these months, the Kremlin has wanted Russian people to remain distanced from the military campaign; the state will leave you alone so long as you stay away from politics and demonstrate indifference towards the war. The mobilisation might change this. Some 300,000 more families will start to feel the war personally. The move also confirms that Russia will be unable to defend territories it has occupied without more personnel. The Russian army desperately needs more troops to hold a frontline that stretches for 1,500 miles.