President Vladimir Putin celebrated the “courage” of the Russian soldiers engaged in Ukraine on Friday, in front of thousands of soldiers gathered in the Red Square and around twenty foreign leaders, who made the trip to Moscow to attend the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany.
Vladimir 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 party on the Russian patriotic calendar.
“The whole country, society, the people support participants in the special military operation” in Ukraine, said Vladimir 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 “was and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia, anti-Semitism”.
Leaders of around twenty countries present
In the stands on the Red Square stood from veterans and 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.
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.
Russian “pride”
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 material” military. “I wanted to see this power in person. This party makes me proud of my country, ”he explains.
Tatiana Rybakova, also aged 40, also says he 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 says.
Natalia Tarassova, 45, she came 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”.
