Putin could declare ‘war on the world’s Nazis’ on Victory Day, says UK minister

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has predicted Vladimir Putin will use Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9th to claim he is launching a new push for “war with the world’s Nazis.”

Wallace said the parade, which is held to mark Russia’s involvement in World War II, would present the idea opportunity for Putin to push his false Nazi narrative, which has infuriated the Jewish community globally.

Speaking to LBC radio, the cabinet minister said:”I would not be surprised… that he (Putin) is probably going to declare on May Day that ‘we are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people’.

“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,.

“We have to help Ukrainians effectively get the limpet off the rock and keep the momentum pushing them back.”

Wallace admitted he was not speaking with actual intelligence that Putin was planning such an announcement.

But he said it was highly likely given his previous comments.

“We have seen a number of statements from Putin about this becoming a war, ‘this is a proxy war’ – which it isn’t – and ‘Nazis are everywhere’, basically, ‘they are not just in Ukraine, NATO is full of Nazis’.

“I think he will try to move from his ‘special operation” Wallace told LBC.

“He’s been rolling the pitch, laying the ground for being able to say ‘look, this is now a war against Nazis, and what I need is more people. I need more Russian cannon fodder’.”