By Tony O’Reilly
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said that the Russian leader may start a “mass” mobilisation and use May Day to announce a war on the world’s “Nazis”.
Wallace added that Russia’s occupation of Ukraine risked becoming “a sort of cancerous growth” that must be cut out.
Britain has been supplying anti-tank weapons, anti-air missiles and plans to send Stormer armoured vehicles to help them fight against Russia
It comes after the editor of the state-owned broadcaster RT Margarita Simonyan said in a broadcast that it was “more probable” that the Russian President would launch a nuclear strike than allow Russia to lose the war.
Putin started the Russian invasion of its neighbour on February 24 saying that it was a special operation to rid Ukraine of Nazis.
He went on: “Putin, having failed in nearly all objectives, may seek to consolidate what he’s got . . . and just be a sort of cancerous growth within the country.
“We have to help Ukrainians effectively get the limpet off the rock and keep the momentum pushing them back.”
Mr Wallace also said the UK would continue to supply weapons to the government in Kyiv and was looking at providing anti-ship missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The tendency to pump weapons, including heavy weapons into Ukraine, these are the actions that threaten the security of the continent, provoke instability.”
President Putin earlier insisted any country intervening in Russia’s “special operation” to rid Ukraine of so-called Nazis faced a “lightning-fast” response.
Since then Ukrainian cities have been pummelled by shelling in a battle which government minister Liz Truss has said could go on for 10 years.
And in the face of the West providing money and armaments to Ukraine, Russia has referred to its nuclear capabilities in threats to not get involved. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the “danger is serious” of a nuclear war.
The Russian leader warned his country would use their weapons against anyone who “intends to interfere in what is going on from the outside,” referring to his six superweapons including the deadly Sarmat missile, dubbed “Satan 2.”
Threats
However, Mr Wallace said he wasn’t “rattled” by the tyrant’s threats adding that Nato forces “outnumber and outgun” Russia.
He told LBC Radio: “I don’t feel rattled by it.
“Because we have strong Armed Forces and a nuclear deterrent and we’re part of a Nato partnership of 30 nations who outgun him, outnumber him and have potentially all the capabilities at our disposal.
“I don’t fear him. I think we should be very grateful in this country that we have a nuclear deterrent, I think that is a really important part of his calculations.
“There are many, as we know, who wanted to get rid of it over the years.
“I’m very grateful that somewhere under the sea, some amazing men and women are deep underwater, hiding, waiting, in case Britain needs to be protected. That’s important.”
In an interview with Russian news agencies, he said: “This is our key position on which we base everything.
“The risks now are considerable.
“I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real, And we must not underestimate it.”
Lavrov accused the West of deliberately attempting to “wear down the Russian army” and exhaust their ability to make war – something the minister bullishly said was an “illusion”.
But he claimed Russia wanted to prevent a nuclear war at all costs.