Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9, a move that would enable the full mobilization of Russia’s reserve forces as invasion efforts continue to falter, US and Western officials believe.
Highlights
- Russia began evacuating its embassy in Kyiv, and Ukraine urged its citizens to leave Russia.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to storm the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol but to block it “so that not even a fly comes through” May 9, known as “Victory Day” inside of Russia, commemorates the country’s defeat of the Nazis in 1945.
- A formal declaration of war on May 9 could potentially bolster public support for the invasion.
- It would also, under Russian law, allow Putin to mobilize reserve forces and draft conscripts, which officials say Russia desperately needs amid a growing manpower shortage.