Sitrep: Putin 'desperate' to celebrate victory on 9 May

Vladimir Putin wants his invasion of east Ukraine wrapped up within the next month so he can celebrate it at Russia's annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, a defence expert says intelligence suggests.

The alleged war criminal Putin wants a victory to coincide with the annual parade in Red Square on 9 May, which is held to mark victory in World War II after the Nazis' surrender.

Speaking to BFBS Sitrep, security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke said: "All intelligence indicates that Putin is desperate to get something out of this war in time for the 9th of May which is the Victory Parade."

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Prof Clarke added: "If that's true, it sounds crazy, but if it's true then it means the Russians have got to come up with something in the next three weeks that looks like some sort of victory.

"And that's where we might be for the coming month."

When asked about the Ukrainian people's fears of returning Russian troops, Professor Clarke said: "I think the Ukrainians will always say you can't trust anything that Putin's Russia is likely to do.

"Even if the Russians withdraw on some terms that we can only guess at, at the moment, and Putin stays in power for the next two or three years, the Ukrainians have got to expect that there will be another attempt to do this," he added.