[ad_1]
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his country’s Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square on Tuesday that a “real war” had been launched against Russia with the “unconquerable ambitions” of the West, shortly after Kremlin forces fired cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets.
“Today civilization is once again at a decisive turning point,” Putin said at Moscow’s annual commemoration celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. “A real war has been launched against our homeland.”
Since Russia invaded its neighbor more than 14 months ago, the Kremlin’s official narrative of the war has depicted an existential conflict with the West, which Moscow says is only using Ukraine as a tool to destroy Russia, rewriting its history. and destroy traditional values. That version of events has dominated Russian state media coverage of the war.
In his speech, Putin insisted that the West’s “ambition, arrogance and impunity” were to blame for the conflict.
Putin welcomed the soldiers of the war in Ukraine who were in the parade.
“For Russia! For the brave armed forces! For victory!” Putin concluded his speech.
Air raids on the second night
Russia fired cruise missiles in Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, hours before the start of the Moscow parade, which this year took place amid tight security measures.
Kremlin forces launched 25 missiles overnight during a wave of attacks in Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force said, adding that air defenses had succeeded in killing 23 people. It was the second night in a row of Russian airstrikes and the fifth so far this month.
“One night to the ‘sacred’ May 9, [they] launched an attack on Ukrainian territory,” the Ukrainian air force said.
In a Telegram post, the air force said eight Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from carriers in the Black Sea in the east and 17 from strategic aircraft.
Debris fell on a house in the Holosiivskyi district of southwest Kyiv but caused little damage, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Debris littered the streets of the often-targeted Shevchenkivskyi district in central Kyiv.
Kyiv on Tuesday marked Europe Day, celebrating the declaration that led to the formation of the body that became the European Union. It hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who tweeted a picture of her arriving at Kyiv station by train.
“It’s good to be back in Kyiv. Where the values we love are defended every day,” he wrote, calling it “the right place to celebrate Europe Day.”
Scaled-back celebration in Russia
Back in Russia, some two dozen cities canceled military parades for the first time in years. The Immortal Regiment procession, where crowds take to the streets holding portraits of relatives who died or served in World War II – another pillar of the holiday – has also been canceled in many cities.
Regional officials blamed unspecified “security concerns”. Some speculate, however, the reason behind the cancellation of the Immortal Regiment march is the fact that Russia can bring portraits of relatives who died in Ukraine to the procession, reflecting the extent of Russia’s losses in the drawn-out conflict.
Moscow made a show of force during its flagship parade in Red Square, with top military gear and leaders of former Soviet states standing alongside Putin.
Initially, only one of them – Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov – was expected to attend, but at the last minute on Monday, officials confirmed that the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were also going to Moscow.
Still, the parade seemed more modest than usual: No military aircraft flew over Red Square, and less military equipment was displayed. For the first time in a year, the parade ended in less than an hour.
The pared-down celebration comes after ambiguous official reports last week that two Ukrainian drones flew into the heart of Moscow under cover of darkness and reached the Kremlin before being shot down.
The Kremlin declared it an attempt on Putin’s life. Ukraine denies involvement and the US denies knowledge of the incident.
[ad_2]
Source link