Russians united in ‘sacred’ battle with West over Ukraine – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses the US and its allies of forgetting the Soviet victory over the Nazis in World War II, while accusing the Russians of a “sacred” battle with the West over Ukraine that ends in victory. We are united.

Putin has repeatedly described the war in Ukraine as a defensive move against Western powers seeking to divide Russia, likening it to the challenge Moscow faced when Adolf Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. rice field.

Addressing veterans and soldiers gathered in Red Square for the annual Victory Day parade, the 70-year-old president said, “The decisive battle for the fate of our country has always been patriotic and national. It has become a folk and sacred thing,” he said.

“A real war has been waged against our motherland again,” he said.

Putin has hailed Russian troops in Ukraine as heroes fighting for the country’s future against Western powers that forgot the crucial role the Soviet Union played in defeating Nazi Germany. .

Regarding those taking part in what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation,” “the whole country has come together to support our hero. Everyone is praying for you and ready to help.” there is,” he said.

Putin cheered: “Russia, brave army, for victory!”

Cheers erupted throughout Red Square, gun salutes and the Russian anthem, but there was a rather simplified show of military equipment and no aviation. Only one tank participated.

The Soviet Union, which had lost 27 million people in World War II, including millions in Ukraine, eventually pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Hitler committed suicide and died in 1945. A red Soviet victory flag was hoisted over the Reichstag in 1949.

Kiev and its allies accuse Putin of waging a provocative war of aggression in Ukraine to seize land. They deny Putin’s claims that the extension of the NATO alliance to Russia’s borders poses a threat to Russia’s security or justifies an invasion of Moscow.

As many as 354,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in the Ukraine war, according to a number of US intelligence documents posted online.

victory day

Less than a week after Russia announced that Ukraine had attacked the Kremlin with two drones to kill Putin, Tuesday’s parade was drastically scaled back, with Western leaders attending. No. Kiev denied any involvement.

Putin says the “Western globalist elite” are sowing Russophobia and aggressive nationalism, while the Ukrainian people are “hostages of a state coup” and exposed to Western ambitions. rice field.

Putin said the memory of World War II is sacred and paid tribute to those who fought the Nazis, including the US and British forces, and China’s fight against Japan.

The crushing of Nazi Germany, along with the defeat of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812, is Russia’s most revered military victory, but both devastating invasions from the west have left Russia very concerned about its western borders. became sensitive.

“We want to see a peaceful, free and stable future,” Putin said, adding that monuments to Soviet soldiers have been destroyed in many countries.

“We have repelled international terrorism. We will protect and secure the population of Donbass (eastern Ukraine),” said Putin, who was joined by leaders of several former Soviet republics on Red Square. rice field.

He did not mention the challenges facing Russia as the Russian military prepares for an expected major Ukrainian counterattack, nor did he outline a path to victory.