UK defense minister predicts Putin will increase 'Russian cannon fodder' by May 9

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has suggested that as "Victory Day" in Russia on May 9 approaches, Putin will try to increase "Russian cannon fodder" and call the war "a war against the Nazis."

According to Ukrinform, Wallace stated this in an interview with LBC Radio.

"I think he will try to move from his 'special operation'. 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'," Wallace said.

According to him, he would not be surprised if Putin announced the mobilization of Russians for this war during that holiday.

"I would not be surprised, and I don't have any information about this, that he is probably going to declare on this May Day that 'we are now at war with the world's Nazis and we need to mass mobilize the Russian people'," Wallace said.

He slammed the "pathetic attempt" to cover up the fact his generals have "sent thousands of men to their deaths because of their incompetence and arrogance and his ego."

He added that to mass mobilize the Russian reserves is an "admission of failure."

According to Wallace, the Russians should not be allowed to dig-in Ukraine, although they will try to do so, as the experience of the last eight years shows.

He claimed the Russians will "boast" they have captured the port city of Mariupol, which has seen some of the worst devastation since the war began.