Vladimir Putin plotting 'maximum escalation' of war ahead of one-year anniversary

Vladimir Putin and his forces are planning a "major escalation" of its war in Ukraine, President Zelensky’s top security official has claimed in a chilling warning.

The year anniversary of Putin ordering his tanks across the border is imminent and many fear he will use this date to show his brute force.

“This is a country obsessed by dates,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said.

He continued: “Starting with the revolution of 1917, they try to tie all their activities to special dates, to anniversaries.

"Even at the cost of their own lives, they will do everything to make these anniversaries. And the next they want to do it is February 24.”

That was the day in 2022 when Russia shocked the world by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from all directions.

Mr Danilov believes they will try to recreate that day again: “You will see them unleash their cruise missiles and try to advance.”

He also told Sky News in a similar interview: “Russia is preparing for maximum escalation. It is gathering everything possible, doing drills and training.

"When it comes to an offensive from different directions, as of now, I can say that we are not excluding any scenario in the next two to three weeks.”

Ukrainian President Zelensky also warned that Russia was building up its troops to take “revenge” on the West for its support for Ukraine over the last year.

Mr Danilov said the next few months of the war would be decisive and that this year is going to be just as difficult as the last.

He predicted that the outcome of the conflict would be clear “by summer" but was still clear that Ukraine would win, despite the heavy death toll.

Speaking to French media, Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, said Russia would call on a large contingent of mobilised troops ahead of the anniversary.

He thinks there could be close to 500,000 waiting in the wings.

The EU has pledged to double a military aid programme for Ukraine by training an extra 15,000 soldiers, as part of a wave of announcements aimed at showing it will “stand by Ukraine for the long haul”.

It also said on Thursday it intended to work with Ukrainian prosecutors to set up an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine.