Vladimir Putin could declare a new world war in the coming days, the UK defence secretary has warned.
Ben Wallace said that the Russian leader may start a “mass” mobilisation and use May Day to announce a war on the world’s “Nazis”.
Putin started the Russian invasion of its neighbour on February 24 saying that it was a special operation to rid Ukraine of Nazis.
Since then Ukrainian cities have been pummelled by shelling in a battle which government minister Liz Truss has said could go on for 10 years.
And in the face of the West providing money and armaments to Ukraine, Russia has referred to its nuclear capabilities in threats to not get involved. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the “danger is serious” of a nuclear war.
Now Mr Wallace told LBC that Putin having "failed" in most of his objectives in the war with Ukraine may declare war on the "world's Nazis".
He said: “I would not be surprised . . . that he 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’.”
He continued: “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.”
At the same time around 8,000 British Army troops are to take part in exercises across eastern Europe to combat Russian aggression in one of the largest deployments since the Cold War.
Dozens of tanks will be deployed to countries ranging from Finland to North Macedonia this summer under plans that have been enhanced since the invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Wallace said the "show of solidarity and strength" will see UK service personnel joining with NATO allies and those from the Joint Expeditionary Force alliance, which includes Finland and Sweden, for the exercises.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the action had been long planned, but that it had been enhanced since Russia invaded its neighbour in late February.
Aircraft, tanks, artillery and armoured assault vehicles will join the exercises across Europe, with the UK deployment expected to build to a peak of around 8,000 personnel operating between April and June.
Commander Field Army Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse said: "The UK makes a significant contribution to the defence of Europe and the deterrence of Russian aggression. The British Army's series of exercises is fundamental to both.
"The scale of the deployment, coupled with the professionalism, training and agility of the British Army, will deter aggression at a scale not seen in Europe this century."
Troops from the Queen's Royal Hussars have been deployed for embedding in an armoured brigade in Finland, which shares an 830 mile land border with Russia. Exercises alongside American troops are also taking place in Poland.
Mr Wallace said: "The security of Europe has never been more important. These exercises will see our troops join forces with allies and partners across Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force in a show of solidarity and strength in one of the largest shared deployments since the Cold War."
