In the lead up to Russia’s Victory Day, observers speculated Vladimir Putin may use his speech to announce a national mobilisation push to boost the ranks of the Russian military.

But his speech yesterday, on the anniversary of the USSR’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, was far softer than many had anticipated.

“A lot of pundits were predicting that he’d formally declare a war and announce a mass call up. It didn’t happen. All he did is repeat a lot of the lies he’s used to justify the invasion of Ukraine,” security expert David Wright-Neville told Neil Mitchell.

Dr Wright-Neville says Russia is “reassessing its options” in Ukraine.

“They’re certainly not going to leave,” he said.

While the possibility of a Russian nuclear escalation isn’t out of the question, Dr Wright-Neville says it’s “highly unlikely”.

“There’s two things that motivate Putin — one is his own survival, the second is the survival of Russia itself. If he plays the nuclear card both of those things come into play and I don’t think he’s going to take that gamble,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear what Dr Wright-Neville thought of Putin’s speech

Image: Getty