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Victory Day: Will Putin Up the Stakes
Vladimir Putin is set to declare an all-out war on Ukraine allowing for mass mobilization of Russian citizens to launch “payback” over a stuttering invasion, say Russian sources and Western officials. When tanks rolled into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, no one probably anticipated that the hostilities would last longer than a week. Vladimir Putin called it a “special operation” and even barred Russian media from using the word “war”. Official rhetoric actively inculcated the idea of an imminent and inevitable victory in the public consciousness. But more than two months later, the offensive has stalled and army chiefs are believed to want it now to be called a war which would allow for mass mobilization.
“The military are outraged that the blitz on Kyiv has failed.”
This assessment is shared by The Telegraph sources close to Russian military officials. “People in the army are seeking payback for failures of the past and they want to go further in Ukraine.” It seems their calls are being heard.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking on 28 April, 2022, said Putin was likely to announce general mobilization of the Russian population within weeks to make up for military losses. Mr Wallace told LBC that Putin “failed” in most of his objectives in the war with Ukraine. This means the further political actions of the master of…