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The British defense secretary doesn't mince words when he talks about Vladimir Putin
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James Manning / dpa
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as "completely insane" in the context of the escalation of the conflict in Eastern Europe.
The statement was made at a meeting with soldiers in London.
He added that the British unit Scots Guards "kicked the buttocks" of the Russian Tsar Nicholas I during the Crimean War in 1853 and could do so again at any time.
The tsar and the current Russian president made the same mistake of not looking for allies, Wallace said.
In the Crimean War, Great Britain and France fought successfully on the side of the Ottoman Empire against the Tsarist Empire.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson verbally shot at Putin on Tuesday.
The Russian president is in an "illogical and irrational state of mind," Johnson said.
All important news about the conflict in Eastern Europe can be found here.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the self-proclaimed "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states and ordered the deployment of troops.
The West accuses him of breaking international law.
The EU and the US imposed far-reaching sanctions on Russia.
According to Western sources, Russia has gathered about 150,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine.
hba/dpa