As Russia mobilized troops yesterday as Biden administration officials vowed to continue sending military, economic, and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine. The war has just been flung to all new levels.

The West continues to warn that against Vladimir Putin’s decision on Wednesday to call up roughly 300,000 military reservists. Saying it’s “not a bluff”, Putin mobilized the troops even as the West has warned it was “out of desperation.”  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries also warned the Putin of “severe consequences” if he carried out a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, according to the New York Times. 

“The announcement and associated threats are another sign that Russia is struggling to salvage its illegal occupation of Ukraine,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement. “Our focus continues to remain on supporting Ukraine with security assistance as they defend their country.”

In London, British defense secretary Ben Wallace declared that “no amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war.”

President Vladimir Putin declared that he won’t hesitate to use nuclear weapons to protect Russian territory, a threat that comes as Moscow is poised to annex swaths of Ukraine that Moscow has taken over after hastily called referendums there.

“This is a blunt Russian ultimatum to Ukraine and the West: Ukraine must back off or there will be a nuclear war,” Tatiana Stanovaya, an independent political expert who follows the Kremlin’s moves said. “For Putin, the annexation would legitimize the right to resort to nuclear threats to protect the Russian territory.”

Putin also accused the west of using “nuclear blackmail” against Russia noting that “if its territorial integrity is threatened Russia will definitely use all the means at its disposal.” to defend Russian territory. “This is not a bluff.”

According to the Associated Press, Ukraine has declared a sweeping mobilization with a goal of forming a 1 million-member military, the Kremlin so far has tried to avoid the unpopular move, recruiting volunteer soldiers and even prisoners.  The West has no problem with Ukraine’s mobilization of 1 million troops, however, there’s a big issue with Russia mobilizing less than a third of that.

We may be reaching a point of no return when it comes to this war, which has so far, been limited. As things ramp up, we could see this cross into more countries and become another world war.