Vladimir Putin celebrated the ‘courage’ Russian soldiers in Ukraine on Friday, ahead of thousands of soldiers and around twenty foreign leaders, who made the trip to attend the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany.
Mr. Putin once again drew up historical parallels between the Second World War and the large-scale assault against Ukraine which he ordered in February 2022, on the occasion of the May 9, the most important feast of the Russian patriotic calendar.
‘The whole country, society, the people support participants in the special military operation’ in Ukraine, said Putin, using the euphemism in force to designate the conflict.
‘We are proud of their courage and their determination, their strength of soul which has always brought us victory,’ he added, while ensuring that Russia has been and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia, anti-Semitism ‘.
In the stands on the Red Square in Moscow stood veterans and the leaders of twenty nations, including many allies or partners of Russia such as China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Vietnam, Armenia, Cuba and Venezuela.
Despite the policy of isolation advocated by Westerners, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico – defying the injunctions of the European Union – and the Serbian Head of State Aleksandar Vucic were also on site, as well as the president of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, sought by Bosnian justice.
Many weapons
Before them marched some 11,000 soldiers, including 1,500 soldiers who fought in Ukraine, according to the state agency Tass. Soldiers from 13 countries have also taken part in the parade, including those of China, Vietnam, Burma and Egypt.
Putin also briefly welcomed North Korean officers on the sidelines of the ceremony, while Pyongyang soldiers participated in the fighting against Ukrainians in the Russian Koursk region.
This year, many armaments were present at the parade, including modern T-90 tanks, Iskander missiles and S-400 anti-aircraft systems. For the first time, drones were also shown, including Orlan, Lancet and Geran, used almost daily by the Russian army to strike Ukraine.
The presence of these armaments contrasts with the parades of the first two years of the conflict, when the Russian forces were faced with a more difficult situation on the front.
-In the streets of Moscow, decorated with many flags and posters for the occasion, Vladimir, 40, came to attend the parade with friends and his pregnant wife, to ‘see the Military Material. ‘I wanted to see this power in person. This party makes me proud of my country, “he explains to AFP.
Tatiana Rybakova, also aged 40, also says she is ‘proud’ of her country, but says he hope ‘Peace’. ‘We are waiting for it, we are waiting for people to be happy and healthy. This is the most important thing, “she said.
Natalia Tarassova, 45, has come specially from Donetsk, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine under the control of prorussian separatists since 2014. She hopes that the conflict will soon be finished and that there will be parades in all cities’.
kyiv brings together his supporters
The Russian president ordered to observe a ceasefire from May 8 to 10, on the occasion of these celebrations, but Ukraine accused his opponent on Thursday of attacking the entire front line. The Russian army, for its part, said ‘strictly respecting’ this ceasefire and simply ‘answer’ to Ukrainian violations.
Since Tuesday, Ukraine has multiplied drone strikes in Russia, notably targeting the capital and causing the delay or cancellation of hundreds of flights. However, the situation was calm on Friday morning in Moscow on Friday morning.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly criticized the military parade in the Red Square and says he considers all foreign participation as’ support for the Russian aggressor.
Ukraine and its European supporters meet on their side on Friday in Lviv (west of Ukraine) to approve the creation of a special court responsible for judging the ‘assault crimes’ committed by Russia. ‘There will be no impunity’, hammered the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas on Thursday.
In the past three years, Mr. Putin has spoke of the memory of victory over Nazi Germany to defend the military offensive against Ukraine, Russia ensuring that it wanted to ‘Dénazify’ this neighboring country, of which it occupies around 20% of the territory.
The Second World War, which left more than 20 million dead in the USSR and claimed incredible sacrifices from the population, caused a trauma that is still felt within society and which has fed a patriotism exploited by President Putin.
/ATS
