"Russia's 'partial' mobilization has a tectonic effect, like a huge earthquake in Russian politics" - diplomat Matthew Bryza

He said this on Espreso TV. 

"The 'partial' mobilization in Russia has a tectonic effect, like a huge earthquake in Russian politics, because until now the youth in St. Petersburg did not feel that there was a war at all. Representatives of certain economically disadvantaged and remote regions of Russia agreed to fight. Now the war is knocking on the door of everyone, and the level of its unpopularity among Russians is skyrocketing," Bryza noted.

The diplomat also added that the Russian-staged referendums in the occupied Ukrainian territories are a sign of Putin's desperation in anticipation of his defeat.

"Putin would never hold referendums under conditions of incomplete Russian control over the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, because it is very risky. Of course, the results are rigged, and no one in the world, except for such countries as Nicaragua, North Korea, and Syria, will consider the issue of the legitimacy of such an obvious forgery," Bryza explained.