During his yearly speech to commemorate Victory Day in Moscow, Vladimir Putin stated that the future of Russia “rests on” the soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
Nothing right now is more crucial than your combat effort, he continued.
This year’s military parade, which honours the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, was shortened for security reasons.
In addition, Mr. Putin used his address to defend his invasion of Ukraine and blamed “Western globalist elites” for inciting war.
He told a small group of authorities and veterans in Moscow’s Red Square, where the event was closed to the general public, that civilization is once more “at a decisive turning point.”
A few of the troops fighting in Ukraine were in attendance, and Mr. Putin spoke to them, declaring that a “real war” had been “unleashed” against Russia. In actuality, Russia was the one that invaded Ukraine.
He urged them, “Today, the future of our statehood and our people depend on you. The security of the country rests on you.”
As of February 2022, when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this was the second Victory Day parade.
The celebrations, however, had to be toned back due to security concerns following a slew of explosions and sabotage incidents that occurred around Russia in recent weeks.
A drone strike on the Kremlin is said to have occurred last week in one occasion. Ukraine and the US both denied any involvement, despite Russia’s claims that it was an attempt on Mr. Putin’s life.
3,000 fewer soldiers and less military equipment were on show at the ceremony this year. The procession was shorter than typical and without the traditional military flypast and contemporary tanks. On Tuesday, only the T-34 from World War Two was on display.
However, a small number of world leaders showed there for the first time since 2020.
There were all of the Central Asian leaders there, including Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan. The prime ministers of Armenia and Belarus were also present in Red Square.
The late decision of the Central Asian leaders to attend, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), “likely indicates their reticence to show direct and public support of the war.”
In his speech, Mr. Putin repeated themes from the previous year, equating the struggle against Ukraine’s “criminal regime” with the defeat of Nazi Germany.
“Their goal is nothing else but to see the fall of our country,” he declared, taking aim at the West.
Mr. Putin claimed that while Russia desired a “peaceful future,” Western elites were spreading the seeds of “hatred and Russophobia” and undermining traditional family values.
But a large portion of his address was devoted to expressing his satisfaction in the deeds of Russian “heroes” in Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), which has charged Russian President Vladimir Putin with war crimes in Ukraine, has stated that “there is no cause stronger in the world than our love for our armed forces.”
He concluded, “To Russia, to our armed forces,” as the Russian national song began to play.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, and Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the EU Commission, held a news conference in Kyiv following Mr. Putin’s speech.
After failing to annex the eastern city of Bakhmut before Victory Day, Russian efforts to “present something” to the military and political leadership, according to President Zelensky, led to an uptick in attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks.
He said, “They have to demonstrate that they damaged something.
Asserting that “the invaders have been dragged out of prisons” to fight for Russia, who had “dramatically failed” in the conflict, Ms. von der Leyen claimed.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to Mr. Putin’s address by saying that the EU must not be scared by the Russian president’s “show of force.”
“Let’s stay steadfast in our support for Ukraine – as long as it is necessary,” he said to the European Parliament.
