Russian President Vladimir Putin used the May 9 parade in Red Square in Moscow to justify its war against Ukraine and threaten the West with nuclear weapons.
According to the German newspaper Bild, over a thousand participants in the war in Ukraine came to the parade. The host of the ceremony said that the ground forces, "as in the harsh years of the Great Patriotic War, are liberating the world step by step from the servants of neo-Nazism and international terrorism". As various units of the Russian Armed Forces passed through the square, the host repeatedly mentioned the “heroes” of the so-called special military operation. For example, it was said that they are now “releasing” Ukrainian cities, in particular Kiev, Odessa, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv.
During his speech, Putin paid tribute to the memory of “comrades who died in the fight against neo-Nazism in a just battle for Russia” and said that “the desire to justify current followers of the Nazis is part of the general policy of Western elites."
It is noted that a few days ago Russia announced the preparation of nuclear exercises near the borders of Ukraine, and on May 9 Putin used the parade to issue new nuclear threats. "Russia will do everything to prevent a global collision, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us," said the Russian president.
After that, three Yars missile systems, part of the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation, passed through Red Square. The host of the ceremony called them “a formidable nuclear deterrent” and noted their ability to be “guaranteed to hit a target anywhere in the world”.
„This year, the Russian regime is using the holiday for military propaganda against Ukraine. Then the republics of the USSR defended themselves together against the Nazi invasion, today Russia is waging violent aggression against Ukraine,”, notes the German edition. As in previous years, Western leaders did not come to the parade.