Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on his army to win in Ukraine, telling his forces they are fighting to defend the “homeland”.
Addressing the annual military parade on Victory Day in Moscow’s Red Square, Mr Putin reiterated his argument that NATO was threatening Russia’s borders in justification of its invasion.
Addressing troops fighting in the Donbas region, which Moscow has promised to “liberate” from Kyiv, he said: “Protecting the homeland when deciding its fate has always been sacred.
“Today you are fighting for our people in Donbass, for the security of Russia, our homeland.
Russian honor guards line up before a military parade on Victory Day
(Reuters)
Although he was touted as a potential place for Mr Putin to offer up-to-date information on Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, his 11-minute speech did not mention it.
Previously, experts believed that the holiday, centered around the great military parade and flight, could be used by the president to declare victory in Ukraine.
Western officials have also warned that Putin could have used May 9 to officially declare war on Ukraine to quell alleged outrage from the Russian military over the failure of its attack on the country.
Members of the Russian military group march on Red Square, Moscow
(Reuters)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attends the military parade
(EPA)
If Mr Putin declares war on his neighbor, Moscow will be able to recruit more troops – who could also be detained for longer than usual – impose martial law and make proposals for more support than its own. international allies, such as Belarus.
But a speech marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945 was instead used by Mr Putin to reiterate his belief that Russia’s military action in Ukraine was a timely and necessary response to western politics.
Putin claims that Russian troops in Ukraine are “fighting for victory” in the homeland
He also claims that the West is preparing to invade Russian “lands” and that “enemies” have tried to use “terrorists” against them.
He repeatedly likened the war – which he described as a battle against dangerous “Nazi-inspired” nationalists in Ukraine – to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Adolf Hitler invaded in 1941.
Speaking to a massive line of Red Square staff, he declared that Russia was “obliged to preserve the memory of those who defeated Nazism”.
Russian servicemen ride in military vehicles as they roar through central Moscow
(AFP / Getty)
Solemn soldiers celebrate victory over Nazi Germany
(Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
Putin said: “Despite differences in international relations, Russia has always advocated the creation of a system of equal and indivisible security, a system that is vital to the entire international community.
“In December last year, we proposed a security guarantee agreement. Russia has called on the West to engage in an honest dialogue, seeking reasonable compromise solutions to take into account the interests of the other. It was all in vain. “
“NATO countries did not want to listen to us, which means that they actually had very different plans, and we saw that. The next punitive operation in Donbass, the invasion of our historical lands, including Crimea, was openly being prepared.
“Kyiv has announced the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons, the NATO bloc has begun to actively take military control of territories adjacent to ours. As such, an absolutely unacceptable threat was systematically created for us, directly on our borders.
“Everything showed a clash with the neo-Nazis, the Banderas [Ukrainian Nazi sympathisers]supported by the United States and its junior partners, was inevitable.
Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the Victory Day military parade
(EPA)
The Victory Day military parade is held annually to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
(EPA)
Regarding Russia’s military losses in Ukraine – an estimated 25,000, according to a call intercepted by Kyiv – Mr Putin said the Kremlin had signed a presidential decree to offer “special support for children. of dead and wounded comrades. “
He added: “The death of each of our soldiers and officers is our common grief and irreparable loss to their friends and relatives. The state, regions, companies and public organizations will do everything to care for and help these families.
Speaking about Moscow’s torn relations with the West, Mr Putin said American veterans had been “virtually banned” from attending the parade, but added that he wanted them to know that Russia was “proud” of their exploits and ” contribution to the common victory. “
He said: “The United States, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has begun to speak of its exclusivity, humiliating not only the world but also its satellites, which must pretend to see nothing and obediently devour it.
Putin says NATO is an “obvious threat” in the World War II parade
“But we are a different country. Russia has a different character. We will never abandon our love for our homeland, our faith and traditional values, the customs of our ancestors and our respect for all peoples and cultures.
“We honor all the soldiers in the allied armies of the Americans, the British, the French, the Chinese resistance and guerrillas, and all those who defeated Nazism and militarism.
In a speech coinciding with the Russian parade, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace accused the Putin regime of “mirroring” fascism and Nazi tyranny. He added that Russian generals were complicit in their leader’s crimes and should be brought to justice.
“By invading Ukraine, Putin and his inner circle of generals are now reflecting the fascism and tyranny of 77 years ago, repeating the mistakes of the totalitarian regime of the last century,” he said.
Referring to the Russian generals, Mr Wallace said: “For them and for Putin, there can be no day of victory, only shame and certainly defeat in Ukraine.
This is after the information about the attack on a school in the Ukrainian region of Luhansk, in which two people died, and another 60 people, trapped under the rubble, feared for their lives.
Debris from a school in Belohorivka that was hit by shelling
(Reuters)
Burning debris can be seen after hitting a school building
(Reuters)
About 90 people are said to have taken refuge at the school when Vladimir Putin’s forces shelled the village of Bilokhorivka on Saturday afternoon, causing a fire that engulfed the building, Luhansk Governor Sergei Gaidai said.
Mr Gaidai said 30 people had been rescued from the smoldering debris, but many were believed to be trapped.
“The fire was extinguished after nearly four hours, then the rubble was cleared and, unfortunately, the bodies of two people were found,” Gaidai wrote in a Telegram post, adding: “It is possible that 60 people died under the rubble. of buildings. “
He said the bomb was dropped on a building where “almost the entire village is hiding” from Russian attacks.
In response to the news of the school bombing, Foreign Minister Liz Truss accused Vladimir Putin’s forces of war crimes.
She said: “Terrified by Russia’s latest attack on a school in Luhansk, which has killed innocent people fleeing Russian bombing.
She said the deliberate attack on civilians and infrastructure “is tantamount to war crimes” and “we will ensure that the Putin regime is held accountable”.
Putin’s war against Ukraine has killed thousands, razed once-bustling cities and forced 5 million Ukrainians to flee abroad.
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