JAKARTA - The Kremlin has dismissed speculation President Vladimir Putin is planning to declare war on Ukraine and declared national mobilization on May 9, the day Russia commemorates the Soviet Union's victory in World War Two.
President Putin has so far called Russia's actions in Ukraine a "special military operation", not war. But, Western politicians and some Russian observers speculate, he may be preparing for a big announcement next Monday, with a range of possible scenarios ranging from an outright declaration of war to a declaration of victory.
Asked about speculation that Putin would declare war on Ukraine on May 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov vehemently denied.
"There's no possibility of that. It's bullshit," Peskov argued.
In addition, Peskov also said people should not listen to speculation that there might be a decision on national mobilization.
"That's not true. That's bullshit," Peskov continued to reporters.
Victory Day 9 May is one of the most important national events in Russia, commemorating the great sacrifices the Soviets made in defeating Nazi Germany, in what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
An estimated 27 million Soviet citizens died in World War II, particularly during 1941-45, which left the Soviet Union disintegrating and almost every Soviet family in mourning.
It is known that President Putin has used his previous Victory Day speech to direct the West, as well as demonstrate the strength of Russia's post-Soviet armed forces.
Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands, displaced millions and raised fears of the most serious confrontation between Russia and the United States since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
President Putin said 'special military operations' in Ukraine were necessary, as the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia, leaving Moscow to defend itself against the persecution of its Russian-speaking people.
He called the conflict an inevitable confrontation with the United States, which he accuses of threatening Russia by meddling in its backyard and enlarging the NATO military alliance.
Meanwhile, Ukraine says it is fighting imperial-style land grabs and that Putin's claims of genocide are nonsense.
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