'The military are outraged that the blitz on Kyiv failed'
Officials fear Russian President Vladimir Putin could be set to declare "all-out war" on Ukraine in mere days as retaliation for military loses.
While Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since February 24, it is believed that Putin could officially declare war on its neighbour in response to the "outrage" felt by the Russian military following its fumbled assaults on Kyiv.
So far, Russian army officials have been referring to their invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation" - a label they claim is designed to "denazify" the country and protect it from fascists - something that Kyiv representatives and western leaders have both deemed a false pretence used to justify Russian aggression.
However, according to
multiple sources, this term could soon change as officials fear that Putin is gearing up to make an announcement during Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9 which celebrates the day Nazi Germany was defeated.
“The military are outraged that the blitz on Kyiv failed,” a source close to Russian military officials reportedly told
The Telegraph.
“People in the army are seeking payback for failures of the past and they want to go further in Ukraine," the unnamed source added.
If this announcement is made, Moscow would have the ability to draft more conscripts - potentially for longer than the typical one-year term - while also being able to make bids for increased support and impose martial law.
These recent warnings were echoed by Defence secretary Ben Wallace during a recent interview with
LBC where he said Putin could be poised to declare war on the "world's Nazis".
“He is probably going to declare… that we are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people," said Wallace.
“Putin, having failed in nearly all objectives, may seek to consolidate what he’s got... and just be a sort of cancerous growth within the country," he added. "We have to help Ukrainians effectively get the limpet off the rock and keep the momentum pushing them back."
Wallace's comments arrived shortly after the announcement that Britain is set to send 8,000 troops on exercises in Eastern Europe. Alongside tanks deployed to places like Finland and North Macedonia this summer, the move will be the largest deployment in Europe since the Cold War.
Wallace continued, adding: “The security of Europe has never been more important. These exercises will see our troops join forces with allies and partners across Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force in a show of solidarity and strength in one of the largest shared deployments since the Cold War.”
Related links:
