Putin may officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9 – CNN
President Vladimir Putin may officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9, which will allow Russia to fully mobilize its reserve forces, as the Russian army is still desperately trying to conquer the eastern and southern regions of our country.
This was reported by CNN, citing US and Western officials.
On May 9 Russians celebrate Victory Day – in Russia this holiday marks the victory of the Russians over the Nazis in 1945.
Western officials have long assumed that Putin could use the symbolic significance and propaganda value of the day to either declare a military achievement in Ukraine or officially declare war. Or maybe both together.
– I think that he (Putin – Ed.) will try to abandon his “special operation”. Putin was preparing the ground for him to say, “Look, now this is a war against the Nazis, and I need more people. I need more Russian cannon fodder“, – British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said last week.
The official declaration of war on May 9 may boost Russian public opinion in favor of the invasion. Under Russian law, this will allow Putin to mobilize reserve forces, including conscripts. According to officials, Russia is in desperate need of conscripts in the face of large-scale losses.
Other scenarios for May 9 include the complete annexation of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as a massive attack on Odesa or the declaration of full control of Mariupol.
The United States says it has intelligence that Russia will try to annex Luhansk and Donetsk in mid-May, US Ambassador to the OSCE Michael Carpenter said. It is also possible that Russia may declare and annex a “people’s republic” in Kherson.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said there was every reason to believe that the Kremlin would do everything possible to use May 9 for propaganda purposes.
According to Price, Russia has redoubled its propaganda to distract people from its tactical and strategic failures in the war in Ukraine.
