The Ukraine-based Centre for Defence Strategies reportedly warned 500 captured fighters could be “forced to go through Red Square for cameras”. These captured fighters could include three British fighters – including Aiden Aslin, 28 and Shaun Pinner, 48, who were captured while defending Mariupol from Russian invaders. The pair were paraded on Russian state television after they were seized.
A third British fighter is also believed to have been captured by Russia.
Andrew Hill, a father of four from Plymouth, was interrogated on Russian TV.
The victory day parade is held on May 9.
It marks the anniversary of the end of fighting in Europe during World War 2, in 1945.
Every year Moscow celebrates the event by having thousands of Russian soldiers march through the famous Red Square.
Meanwhile, the country shows off its latest hardware, such as tanks, artillery, nuclear missiles and armoured vehicles.
Now analysts have warned prisoners of war could be among the cruel trophies being paraded by Putin for the event, according to The Times.
Some analysts have also predicted that Putin wanted to be in a position to declare victory over Ukraine by May 9.
However, after Ukraine proved a far more stalwart enemy than Putin predicted – or was led to believe by his agents – a Russian victory in six days’ time is looking unlikely.
However, Western officials reportedly believe Putin may instead use the event to formally declare war on Ukraine.
He has until now referred to the war only as a “special military operation”, with Russians calling it a war facing arrest.
Officially declaring war would enable the despot to mobilise his reserve forces.
Last Friday British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace predicted the tyrant would use the parade to declare a new war not just against Russia, but against the world’s “Nazis” to galvanise a further push against Ukraine.
He said to LBC Radio: “I would not be surprised… that he is probably going to declare on May Day that ‘we are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people’.
“I think he will try to move on from his ‘special operation’.
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“He’s been rolling the pitch, laying the ground for being able to say ‘look, this is now a war against Nazis, and what I need is more people. I need more Russian cannon fodder’.”
He added: “Putin, having failed in nearly all objectives, may seek to consolidate what he’s got… and just be a sort of cancerous growth within the country.
“We have to help Ukrainians effectively get the limpet off the rock and keep the momentum pushing them back.”
Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9 rather than May 8, like the UK, due to the time difference.
The end of all combat actions came at 23:01 Central European Time on Tuesday May 8, 1945 – which was already May 9 in Soviet Bloc countries, including in Russia.
The pope has claimed that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had told him Russia planned to end the war on May 9.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this week that Moscow would not rush to meet that symbolic date.
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