RIGA, Latvia — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of troops in an address to the nation on Wednesday, framing the move to call up reservists as an attempt to defend Russian sovereignty against a West that seeks to use Ukraine as a tool to “divide and destroy Russia.”

His speech comes as Ukraine is in the midst of a counteroffensive and as Kremlin-backed officials press ahead with referendums that could result in Moscow annexing occupied parts of Ukraine — an act that would mark a major escalation in the conflict. World leaders gathering in New York for the U.N. General Assembly have widely condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, describing it as a threat to global order and world peace. Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.

Here’s what to know:

• Putin’s speech also included a threatening reference to Russia’s nuclear arsenal: “With a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, to protect Russia and our people, we of course will use all the means at our disposal, this is not a bluff.”
• A successful Ukrainian counteroffensive has forced a major Russian retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region in recent days, as troops fled cities and villages they had occupied since the early days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment. In his regular nightly address, Ukraine’s president said the situation on the front line “clearly indicates that the initiative belongs to Ukraine.”
• Volodymyr...

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