Putin completely loses plot as he fears he'll be 'hanging from lamppost in 6 months'

Vladimir Putin fears he could be "hanging from a lamppost" if he fails to win in Ukraine, according to a British volunteer soldier. The Russian tyrant is doubling down on his war efforts, as his army seeks to make a decisive breakthrough on the frontlines.

The Kremlin boss has spurned all calls for a ceasefire and to engage in meaningful peace talks, as he pursues his imperial dreams. Russia's army launched massive drone and missile attacks on cities all across Ukraine over the weekend, killing and injuring scores of civilians.

The aerial onslaught came days after Donald Trump appeared to abandon his efforts to broker a peace deal between the warring factions.

The US President had vainly boasted he could seal a peace deal within 24 hours of returning to the White House in the run up to last year's elections.

Unfortunately for Trump, Putin appears to be unmoved by any attempts at mediation, as he smells victory.

Many Western experts believe Putin's ultimate ambition in Ukraine has not changed and he seeks total conquest.

And this is an opinion that a British volunteer soldier who has fought with Ukraine's army agrees with.

Macer Gifford told that Putin was fixated on fulfilling his "ideological dream" and that both countries had radically different world views.

While Ukrainians looked to the West for their inspiration and their future, "old man Putin" was firmly stuck in his Soviet past.

"This old man is very fearful that if he were to lose in Ukraine then he could be toppled," he said.

"And if he were to be toppled, like all dictators, he could be hanging from a lamppost in six months' time, or he could be in The Hague accounting for his crimes."

The former banker has previous military experience, having fought against ISIS in Syria during the brutal civil war.

It comes as Putin's army is reported to be building up a large force on the borders of the Kharkiv region.

Sky News claimed as many as 50,000 Russian troops were gathering near the border, seemingly poised to launch a major ground offensive.