The US predicts that Russia may officially declare war on Ukraine

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 American and Western officials predict that Russia will officially declare war on Ukraine after more than two months of special military operations.


The Guardian reported that according to US and Western officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin may officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9.


The official declaration of war would allow Russia to mobilize all of its reserves and conscripts. This move is considered necessary in the context that Russian forces are said to be short of soldiers and Moscow is launching an operation to control eastern and southern Ukraine.


May 9, also known as Victory Day for Russia, marks the victory over Nazi Germany. Victory Day is one of the major holidays in Russia and often takes place in parades across the country.


Western intelligence sources predict that Russia wants to use Victory Day to announce an achievement or a new escalation, or both, in the military campaign in Ukraine.


So far, Russian officials have maintained that the conflict in Ukraine is just a "special military operation" with the main goal of "de-militarization and de-fascistization" of Ukraine. Russia claims to only attack military facilities, not civilians or civilian facilities in Ukraine.


British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace last week predicted Russia would move away from a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Mr. Wallace said he was "not surprised" by this and believed that President Putin would declare war on Victory Day.


US State Department spokesman Ned Price on May 2 also predicted that Russia will officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9. On the same day, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter said Russia will likely seek to annex the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine "at some point in time" mid-May".


Mr. Carpenter also revealed that Russia is planning to hold a "referendum" in mid-May. The US diplomat said that Moscow is considering a plan to establish a "Kherson People's Republic". , after Russian forces took control of this southern Ukrainian city.


Russia announced at the end of March that it had completed the first phase of its military operation in Ukraine and shifted its focus to "liberating" Donbass, where the separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk are located in Eastern Ukraine. Russia in February recognized the independence of both Donetsk and Lugansk, and demanded that Ukraine also recognize their independence.


The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, has announced that annexation may be considered with Russia. Meanwhile, the head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, also announced the region could hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia.

Russia has so far put forward a series of proposals to end the conflict, in which Ukraine must commit to neutrality (not joining NATO), not possessing nuclear weapons, recognize Crimea as part of Russia and recognize independence. of the breakaway Donbass region.

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