Vladimir Putin's announcement of increased military conscription shows that he "has been outsmarted" by Kyiv, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss told CNN in an interview.
She believes that the draft shows that russia is losing.
"He [Putin] made a strategic mistake, invading Ukraine," Truss noted.
The Prime Minister believes that the russian president also misjudged the reaction of the world to the invasion.
We've seen the Ukrainians continue to push back against the russian offensive. And I think he didn't anticipate the strength of reaction from the free world," – she announced.
When asked how Western leaders should respond if Putin ramps up military activity in Ukraine, Truss said they "should not be listening to his saber-rattling and his bogus threats." Instead, according to her, it is necessary to continue to put sanctions on russia and support the Ukrainians."
Putin announced the so-called partial mobilisation on 21 September. Russians reacted by fleeing abroad on a massive scale. According to official statements, 300,000 people are to be drafted, however, according to journalists, they actually want to mobilise more than a million.
The fact that the conscripts will go to war in Ukraine is not hidden, the russian defence minister said that the mobilisation was organised "to control" the occupied territories of Ukraine.