Vladimir Putin is set to declare an all-out war on Ukraine allowing for mass mobilisation of Russians to launch "payback" over a stuttering invasion, say Russian sources and Western officials.
When tanks rolled into Ukraine at the end of February, Putin called it a “special operation” and even barred Russian media from using the word “war”.
But more than two months later, the offensive has stalled and army chiefs are believed to want it to now be called a war which would allow for mass mobilisation.
