The forthcoming anniversary of Russia’s liberation at the conclusion of World War II would have no influence on Moscow’s military activities in Ukraine, according to the country’s foreign minister, who spoke on Italian television on Sunday.
When asked if the May 9 anniversary will mark a turning point in the conflict, Sergey Lavrov responded, “Our soldiers won’t base their actions on a specific date.”
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“We’ll commemorate our victory in a solemn manner but the timing and speed of what is happening in Ukraine will hinge on the need to minimise risks for civilians and Russian soldiers,” he added, speaking through an Italian interpreter in Russian.
Last week, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to declare “all-out war” on Ukraine in the next days, allowing the Kremlin to mobilise its whole population.
On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, claiming it was a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and de-nazify” the country. The country avoided using the phrase “war” because it believed it would be over in a couple of weeks.
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According to The Daily Mail, as the invasion has gone on, “frustrated” army leaders have encouraged Putin to declare war, enabling a massive mobilisation of Russian troops and an intensification of the combat.
The British official also warned that Moscow may announce a full mobilisation of reserves for the last push in Ukraine on May 9, Russia’s Victory Day, which commemorates Nazi Germany’s surrender and the end of World War II in 1945.
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“I would not be surprised, and I don’t have any information about this, that he is probably going to declare on this May Day that ‘we are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people’,” he said.
