UPDATE - Russia at war not so much with Ukrainian army as with 'collective West:' Defense minister

ADDS MORE REMARKS OF RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER

By Ceyhun Alizade

ANKARA (AA) – Russia is at war not so much with the Ukrainian army as it is with the "collective West," the nation's defense minister said on Wednesday after a partial military mobilization was announced in Russia.

The mobilization is being carried out to control "already liberated territories," Sergei Shoigu said in a live interview with Russia 24 channel.

Some 300,000 reservists – about 1% of the mobilization resource – will be called up for the action, he said.

Mobilization will include those who have served in the army, primarily those who have combat experience and a military specialty. It will not affect students and conscripts, Shoigu assured.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization in Russia, as the war with Ukraine has now gone on for seven months.

Shoigu said a "Western Command" is based in Ukraine's capital Kyiv and directs the military operation in Ukraine.

He claimed that over 1,000 foreign mercenaries are fighting for Ukraine.

Shoigu alleged that the entire NATO satellite constellation are working against Russia in Ukraine.

More than 70 military and 200 civilian satellites of the West are working to reconnoiter the location of Russian military groups, he said.

He underlined that all kinds of arms of Russian army, including the "nuclear triad," are fulfilling the task set by Putin as part of the operation.

Following months of silence on Moscow's losses in the conflict, Shoigu said Russia's casualties from the "special military operation" in Ukraine stands at 5,937.

The Russian servicemen, he said, are "courageously" fulfilling their duties, and hailed the work of doctors, saying that "more than 90% of the wounded returned to duty."

He claimed that the casualties of the Ukrainian army during the ongoing conflict was over 100,000 people – killed and wounded – and that the fourth wave of mobilization is already underway in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have not yet confirmed the claims of the Russian side.

Shoigu said that weapons are being supplied to Ukraine in "huge quantities," but Russia finds ways to deal with them.

The move comes a day after the announcement of referendums in Ukraine’s separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson on joining Russia on Sept. 23-27.