Putin could declare World War III within days, says UK defence secretary

Russia’s “strongman” leader Vladimir Putin looked like a “little old man feeling the cold” as he huddled under a blanket during Moscow’s Victory Day parade, a leading body language expert has said. Today’s Victory Day event has been the most closely-watched in many years due to the situation in Ukraine, and many observers raised concerns over the Russian leader’s appearance.

As Russian president Vladimir Putin was preparing to address the nation Monday morning during the annual Victory Day parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, local television menus were reportedly hacked with program descriptions on smart TVs replaced by a message reading, “The blood of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of murdered children is on your hands. TV and the authorities are lying. No to war.”

Vladimir Putin was spotted keeping warm with a heavy blanket as he oversaw the massive parade of his country’s military might to mark Victory Day – the day when Russia marks the end of World War Two. While it was a slightly chilly 9ºC in Moscow this morning, none of the other senior Kremlin dignitaries watching the march-past felt the need for a blanket, adding to concerns that the Russian leader’s health could be failing.One user on Twitter commented on the blanket by tweeting: "President Vladimir Putin throws aside his Russian Wool blanket to stride manfully to the unknown."While another joked that "Putin stole a blanket from a veteran" after noticing few others had one.There have been reports that Putin was undergoing treatment for both cancer and Parkinson’s Disease, even before he launched his attack on Ukraine.The poor progress of his invasion seems to have taken an additional toll on his health.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of preparing to invade Russia and told soldiers they are fighting for the future of their 'motherland' in a Victory Day speech in the country's capital on Monday (9 May).

Vladimir Putin is "mirroring" the Nazis, according to the UK's Defence Secretary. Ben Wallace is set to make a major speech at the National Army Museum in London, slamming the tyrant and his cronies amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is reportedly fuming after hearing that his gymnast lover is pregnant again.The 69-year-old tyrant is already thought to have at least two sons with Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic rhythmic gymnast.Russian news channel General SVR Telegram reported the news yesterday, saying: “Putin found out his mistress is yet again pregnant and by the looks of it this wasn’t planned.”“Who’s the daddy?” joked one commenter on the news outlet's website. According to The Sun, sources said Putin was raging when the news broke as he was busy preparing for the Red Square’s Victory Day parade on Sunday (May 8).

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it is clear now that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for “heinous war crimes” following a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Ukraine has killed two people and another 60 are feared dead beneath the rubble.Russian forces shelled the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region on Saturday afternoon which set a school on fire as about 90 people used it for shelter.Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said 30 people were rescued from the flames but confirmed two lifeless bodies were found and 60 more people were yet to make it out of the burning debris alive.Belarus-based media outlet, Nexta, reported that those killed were children however officials in Ukraine have not backed the claims.Gaidai wrote in a Telegram post: "The fire was extinguished after nearly four hours, then the rubble was cleared, and, unfortunately, the bodies of two people were found. Sixty people were likely to have died under the rubble of buildings."The number of casualties is due to Vladimir Putin's army dropping a bomb on the exact building where "almost the whole village was hiding".In the nearby village of Shypilovo, 11 people are thought to have been trapped in the rubble of a destroyed house by more Russian shelling, Mr Gaidai said.The Russian military has been accused of committing war crimes for its persistent targeting of areas packed with civilian such as hospitals and schools, but Moscow has rejected the allegations.Since sending tanks into Ukraine on February 24, thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and 5 million have fled abroad as thriving cities are razed to the ground.

Russia.Although Britain had been previously reducing its nuclear weapons, the Government decided to increase its stockpile by 40 per cent last year, in light of growing technological threats, reports Reuters.The UK uses four Vanguard-class submarines as part of its nuclear deterrent arsenal; two are always on patrol, one is at the ready, and the other receives maintenance. The Express reports that while each sub can carry up to 40 nukes, they have been carrying considerably less than this.Most of the warheads contain 80-100 kilotons, making them around six times more powerful than the “Little Boy” atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.The news comes ahead of Russia's Victory Day celebrations which marks the Soviet's victory over the Germans in WWII and the end of the war.It's been widely speculated the Russian despot might use the patriotic anniversary to send a doomsday message to the West as his threats of war and use of nuclear weapons increased.Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin has threatened NATO and its allies with war if they send troops into Ukraine and the despot has increasingly threatened NATO with war as the West rallies around Ukraine.Already, Russian officials have confirmed Putin will showcase his 'doomsday' plane as part of the Victory Day military parade.The aircraft, which will allow the tyrant to continue to operate in the event of nuclear war, will be part of an air display along with eight Mig-29 fighter jets which will form the letter Z - the symbol of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine - over the Red Square.Metro reports Putin might use the Russian national holiday as a propaganda opportunity to tell Russians how and why the war in Ukraine has been a successful.

Russian world champion who won an international tank warfare competition was sent into real-life battle by Vladimir Putin – only to be killed by Ukrainian fighters.Bato Basanov took part in war games for top Russian officials and impressively shot without missing a single target at speeds of 50mph in training. The 25-year-old corporal was previously hailed for "glorifying Russia” as part of his efforts in the tank biathlon.

Vladimir Putin has flexed his military supremacy and arsenal of nuclear weapons in a chilling new threat to the West.

Vladimir Putin looks set to use the Russian public holiday - marking the country's victory over Nazi Germany and the end of WW2 in Europe - to send a warning to the West by showing off the thermonuclear RS-24 Yars ballistic missile.Weighing 49.6 tonnes, the powerful missile is a weapon of mass destruction that experts believe can carry up to 10 warheads, and is capable of striking London or New York within minutes by travelling at a speed of 24,500km/hr. The nuclear missile was driven past rows of armed guards on a 16-wheeler vehicle on Saturday's rehearsal for the actual Victory Day parade on Monday, followed closely by several Iskander-M missile launchers.

Vladimir Putin's plans to ramp up efforts to invade Ukraine has been met with fierce push back from Ukrainian forces, with Russian troops suffering huge casualties over the past weeks.Now, Putin has been hit with another major blow after the Ukraine Security Service reportedly captured 11 Russian snipers, who had been firing on Ukrainian troops from various positions.The capture was reported by independent Ukrainian media service Hromadske Int, which tweeted: "Security Service informed of daily special operations throughout Ukraine. During such an operation in Kharkiv Oblast, 11 Russian snipers were captured who fired on Ukrainian positions, @ServiceSsu reported."The tweet added that 140 enemy groups were eliminated with 4,000 collaborators also being exposed.In another tweet, the Ukraine Security Service (@ServiceSsu) wrote: "The heroic resistance of Ukrainian defenders in the Kharkiv region demoralised the enemy.

Vladimir Putin's superyacht dream appears to have sunk after a luxury vessel said to be owned by the Russian president was set to be seized by Italian authorities. The $700 million (£570 million) Scheherazade, which is more than 450ft long and boasts spas, "countless" swimming pools, a sauna, theatre, ballrooms, gym and two helicopter landing pads - plus a hospital - has been recommended for impoundment as part of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is suffering severe health problems which are rumoured to be Parkinson’s disease of some form of abdominal cancer. Since it became clear that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was turning into an embarrassing failure, those rumours have been joined by speculation that Putin could be held solely to blame for the disaster and ousted by Kremlin bosses.

Vladimir Putin by creating an application to show users live updates of how many Russian soldiers are dying in the war with their country's forces.And to add insult to injury, the name of the app makes reference to a now iconic quote made famous when a small Ukrainian unit on Snake Island told a Russian warship to "f*** off" when offered safe passage in return for their surrender.The app, which the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine created in concert with Alty, a Ukrainian tech company, is called “Russian ship, go f*** yourself".Leonid Goriev, the CEO of Alty, said the company created the app to help bring Ukraine a victory sooner.“We were inspired by the daily work of the specialists of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, who diligently formulated information on the damage of enemy personnel and the Russian Federation technology in their infographics,” Gorev said in a statement shared by the Ukrainian military. “Therefore, on a volunteer basis, we created a handy app with a set of beautiful widgets to track the occupant's losses and bring our victory closer.”Approximately 24,700 Russian troops have died since the beginning of the war, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Thursday, May 5.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is running out of missiles as he desperately tries to secure victory in Ukraine, according to the UK's Chief of the Defence Staff. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin reckons that Putin's invasion is proving far tougher than he expected, taking a greater toll on his supplies than the Russians thought it would.He also claimed that 25% of Russian forces have already been wiped out and that they are "struggling" in their fight for the Donbass region in the East.He told TalkTV: "He potentially has a problem, because the rate of expenditure and the toughness of the fight is totally different to the one that he perceived on the 24th of February."I think there are several wars going on.

Vladimir Putin's desperate reign could soon be ended could by his own shadowy generals and KGB officials, it has been claimed.The Russian President, who has survived many assassination attempts, is said to be "bracing for a coup" as powerful groups close to the despot are supposedly planning to remove him.According to various sources and media, the plan would be to oust Putin to end the bloody war in Ukraine as top individuals are increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress, The Mirror reports.Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security expert at The Center for European Policy Analysis, said: "This is the very first time the siloviki are putting distance between themselves and the president which opens up all sorts of possibilities."The Russian President has been bracing for a coup for some weeks as has faced fierce criticism over his 'special operation' in Ukraine and he has purged around 150 of his spies over the constant failures."The silovarchs are a particular group of the Russian power elite that rose to the top through business success in the 1990s. They are the meeting point of state and business power.Professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, Daniel Treisman coined the term in 2006 with it being used as an umbrella for a particular group of powerful elites.The word itself is a combination of siloviki and oligarch.

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Morgan, creator of award-winning The Crown, has shifted focus from royals to zoom in on Russian oligarchs as the topic of his new stage play Patriots. It has been fast-tracked to have its world premiere at London’s Almeida Theatre in July with Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) cast to portray Boris Berezovsky, a one-time ally of Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin may be bracing for a coup as favour for his invasion of Ukraine dwindles inside the Kremlin, experts have claimed.Several generals and the Federal Security Service (FSB) are said to be gravely concerned over the lack of military progress and economic issues created by western sanctions. Some local media outlets say that the FSB has contacted military officials about these concerns, with several former generals rumoured to want Putin gone.

Vladimir Putin’s sex-mad girlfriend has warned that the absence of Russians in gymnastics will cause the sport to fall into “degradation”.Russian gymnasts are currently not allowed to partake in international competitions following a ban by the International Gymnastics Federation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Athens 2004 all-around champion Alina Kabaeva, 38, has been vocal in opposing anti-Russian sporting sanctions, previously calling the backlash “the most disgraceful page in the history of world sports”.Kabaeva, who is rumoured to be the hidden girlfriend of Putin and allegedly has three children with the warlord, has now warned that the sport will suffer in Russia’s absence.The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics torchbearer told Russian media outlet TASS that the current rules "already limit the possibilities and development of world rhythmic gymnastics”.Kabaeva added: "This sport was born in our country and until now Russia has been a trendsetter in rhythmic gymnastics.“The absence of Russia in this sport will lead the world rhythmic gymnastics to degradation.