Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov linked Russia's announced partial mobilization to Moscow's confrontation with NATO's military potential.

All about the topic:

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Answering questions from journalists, the spokesman recalled today what he said last week - that there is no question of full mobilization.

President Putin told in his address how the conditions have changed in the course of the special military operation.

It was President Putin who said that now we are de facto facing the military potential of NATO and a number of other hostile countries.

Putin did not hold any telephone conversations with foreign leaders before his address to the Russians today, Peskov said, quoted by TASS.

In the decree signed today by the Russian president, there is one confidential point - number 7. In the version of the document published on the website of the Kremlin, this point is omitted, and in the version that appeared on the legal information portal it is marked as "for official use," notes the Russian opposition website Meduza.

According to him, the 7th point talks about the amount of those mobilized.

Here are the most disturbing and controversial phrases from Putin's statement

Asked about this point, Peskov said that he could not give information because it was "for official use".

He did not want to answer questions about why it was classified, but referred to the statement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about summoning "up to 300,000 people".

Peskov said that for now he is not aware whether the associates of the presidential administration will be exempted from mobilization, by analogy with the deputies and senators.

The Russian government will announce "very soon" which categories of citizens will be exempted from the partial mobilization of reservists with military specialties, he said, quoted by BTA.

The Kremlin spokesman also declined to comment on the possibility of closing the borders to prevent possible diversion from military service.

Today there was information about a sharp increase in purchases of one-way tickets for departure from Russia.

Asked whether Russia would close its borders to those subject to mobilization, the spokesman said: "I cannot answer that question... There are relevant provisions in the current legislation."

Peskov also said that the Russian government will soon determine which citizens will be allowed to defer reporting for military service under the partial mobilization.

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The Kremlin spokesman recommended that the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, pay attention to the crimes he says were committed by the Ukrainian authorities in Donbass, starting in 2014, and only then talk about organizing a tribunal against war criminals.

This is how Peskov reacted to the initiative of the European politician who supported the creation of an independent tribunal to "bring the Russians to account" for their actions in Ukraine.

In general, we would like to recommend that European diplomats pay attention, starting from 2014, to the crimes of the Ukrainian regime, which can and should become a reason for this same tribunal that the Europeans are talking about, said Peskov.

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