Russia-Ukraine war latest: Moscow to mark Victory Day; UK to accuse Putin of ‘mirroring’ fascism – live
Analysts expect Putin to use military parade to reframe the war; defence secretary Ben Wallace to say Russian generals ‘have failed their own rank and file’
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Russian president Vladimir Putin is set to preside over the country’s Victory Day celebrations on Monday, when the country marks its victory over Nazi Germany in the second world war.
The main event will be a parade in Moscow’s Red Square of troops, tanks, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Putin is also expected to make a speech at midday that could offer clues to the future of the war.
Dramatic options include escalation through a formal declaration of war or general mobilisation – or de-escalating by proclaiming victory.
Alternatively, Putin could offer up a “sandwich”, as one analyst put it, that praises the Russian army’s “victory” while preparing the population for a grinding and painful conflict as status quo.
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