Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
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Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday sought to view Moscow’s military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies and a necessary move to prevent an invasion. potential.
Speaking at the Red Square parade marking World War II victory over Nazi Germany, Putin drew parallels between the Red Army’s fight against the Nazis and actions of Russian forces in Ukraine.
While criticizing the West, Putin gave no indication of a strategic shift or any indication that he would announce a broad campaign, as some in Ukraine and the West do. fear.
Addressing a crowd of elite Russian troops flooding into Red Square, Mr Putin said the operation in Ukraine was a necessary move to stop what he described as “a completely unacceptable threat”. received for us (that) was methodically generated next to our borders.”
“The threat is growing day by day,” he declared, adding that “Russia has issued a pre-emptive response to an act of aggression” which he describes as “the only right, timely and imperative decision.” of a sovereign, powerful and independent nation. “
The Russian leader has repeatedly accused Ukraine of aggressive intentions, with support from the United States and its allies, a claim that both Ukrainian and Western officials have denied.
In his speech at the parade, Putin once again scolded the West for not heeding Russia’s demands for security guarantees and turned its back on NATO expansion, saying that Moscow no longer had a choice. have no choice but to take action in Ukraine.
The Russian leader stressed that Russian troops are fighting for the country’s security in Ukraine and called for a minute of silence to honor the soldiers who fell in battle. Putin noted that some of the soldiers participating in the parade had previously fought in Ukraine.
He said that the Ukrainian army “fought for the Fatherland, so that no one would forget the lessons of the Second World War and that there would be no place in the world for hangers, executioners and Nazis.”
Victory Day, which Russia marks on May 9, is the country’s most important holiday, celebrated with military parades and fireworks across the district.
The Soviet Union lost a staggering 27 million people in World War II, which it called the Great Patriotic War. The conflict that has ravaged the country and caused great suffering has left a deep scar on the nation’s soul.
Some in Ukraine and the West expect Putin to use his speech at the parade to shift from describing Russia’s actions in Ukraine, which Russian officials call “special military operations” to Call it a war.
Putin has not made any such changes in rhetoric or given any indication that the Kremlin might change its strategy and announced widespread mobilization to raise the ranks.
The Kremlin has focused on Ukraine’s eastern industrial hub known as Donbas, where Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014. That conflict broke out a few weeks later. when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
The Russian military re-armed and resupply forces withdrew from the areas near Kyiv and other regions in the northeastern part of Ukraine and moved them to the Donbas in an apparent attempt to encircle and destroy the rebels. The most seasoned and capable Ukrainian soldiers gathered there.
