UK accuses Russia of mirroring fascism of World War II

But let me put on the record categorically NATO, Britain, eastern Europe is not planning to invade Russia and never has done, he said, in an apparent rebuttal of Putins claims that Russias intervention in Ukraine was necessary because the West was preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea.Meanwhile, the British government has announced an additional set of sanctions against Russia and ally Belarus worth 1.7 billion pounds of trade.

The UK government on Monday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of mirroring the fascism and tyranny associated with the Second World War and totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace delivered a major speech at the National Army Museum in south-west London to coincide with Russia's annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, which commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over the Nazis in May 1945. While Putin delivered a speech to ranks of his servicemen at Red Square in the Russian capital, the UK accused the Russian President of making "fairytale" claims for years.

''Putin, his inner circle and generals are now mirroring the fascism and tyranny of 70 years ago, repeating the errors of last century's totalitarian regimes,'' said Wallace.

"They are showing the same disregard for human life, national sovereignty and the international rules based system – the very system that (underpins) not least the United Nations charter itself, which we conceived together and were victorious and fought for together in the hope of saving future generation from the scourge of war," he said.

The minister said the Russian Army's actions ''dishonour'' the country's World War II fighters and called for Russian generals to face court martial over their actions during Russia's "unprovoked, illegal, senseless and self-defeating invasion of Ukraine".

"President Putin has made a number of fairytale claims for months and years now. One of his claims is that he is surrounded. NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation] accounts for 6 per cent of his land border. That's not being surrounded if only 6 per cent of your land border is NATO countries," he said.

''I think he is believing what he wants to believe - a slight shine of desperation. But let me put on the record categorically: NATO, Britain, eastern Europe is not planning to invade Russia and never has done," he said, in an apparent rebuttal of Putin's claims that Russia's intervention in Ukraine was necessary because the West was ''preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea''.

Meanwhile, the British government has announced an additional set of sanctions against Russia and ally Belarus worth 1.7 billion pounds of trade. The Department for International Trade (DIT) said the new import tariffs would apply to goods including platinum and palladium, used to make parts for mobile phones and computers. Export bans will also target chemicals, plastics, rubber and machinery, which takes the value of Russian products subject to UK sanctions to more than 4 billion pounds.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)