Putin’s Desperate Ukraine Escalation – WSJ

Vladimir Putin’s recent escalation in Ukraine is not a show of strength. The military mobilization he announced on Wednesday, as well as new nuclear threats, could appease his uncompromising critics in Russia for a while. But that won’t stop Ukraine from continuing its military offensive, and it shouldn’t stop the West from speeding up its military aid to Kiev’s armed forces.

Mr Putin announced what he called a “partial mobilization” that could involve up to 300,000 reservists, which sounds impressive. But the conscription is an admission that the Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine is failing and that its current forces are exhausted and inadequate.