2023-05-10 01:40:18
More than a year after having launched his army to attack his neighbor whom he accuses of Nazism, and after a series of bitter failures, Mr. Putin estimated during a speech in front of hundreds of soldiers on guard to you that the world was at a bend
.
A war has been launched against our homeland
accused the Russian president from Red Square, alongside the country’s political elite and a handful of leaders of former countries.USSRincluding Belarusian Alexander Lukashenko.
The future of our state, of our people, depends on you
said the master of the Kremlin, addressing the soldiers engaged in Ukraine.
For Russia, for our valiant armed forces, for victory, hooray!
he concluded, before a parade of thousands of men began under a spring sun.
President Putin delivers a speech during the Victory Day military parade in Red Square.
Photo : Getty Images / DMITRY ASTAKHOV
While this annual ceremony is meant to exalt Russian might, despite setbacks on the front lines after a year-long offensive in Ukraine, the United States announced a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Kiev.
This will include the purchase of equipment crucial in the short term
such as air defense systems and ammunition, which Kyiv lacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately hailed a sign of solidarity
from Washington during a symbolic day
.
On this highly symbolic day, the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, threw a stone into the pond with a long diatribe denouncing the inability of the Russian authorities to defeat Ukraine, even accusing the military hierarchy of wanting deceive
the Russian president.
This year, the commemorations come as the army is bogged down in its military campaign, after suffering heavy losses, while a Ukrainian counter-offensive is preparing.
As an illustration of this reality, the parade in Moscow was much more modest than in previous years: no aerial parade or tanks, except for a Soviet T-34 dating from the Second World War.
We are in the same situation as our grandfathers and grandmothers, we are forced to defend ourselves against a resurrected Nazism
believes Galina Loginova, retired from Ekaterinburg in the Urals.
Ironically about the short duration of the military parade compared to previous years, the secretary general of the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council Oleksiï Danilov denounced on Twitter a parade of cowardice and fear
.
In Russia, Victory Day is celebrated today, marking the triumph of the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany in 1945. Over the years, Vladimir Putin has made it a highly symbolic event, usually celebrated with pomp. This year, the president said the world is at a turning point, and Russia’s future depends on the soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The story of Lise Villeneuve.
Volodymyr Zelensky had promised Russia on Monday the even
defeat than that of the Nazis. Breaking with the Soviet tradition of May 9 – Ukraine now celebrates the end of the Second World War on the 8th like Westerners – he hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday for Europe Day.
Mr. Zelensky also urged theUE to speed up deliveries of artillery ammunition, end restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports and launch accession negotiations for his country.
On the ground, after 15 months of offensive, the Russian army appears weakened by the losses and the tensions between the staff and the paramilitaries of Wagner. She remains entangled in her fight for the town of Bakhmout, the epicenter of fighting in the east for months.
Wagner’s chief accused the military hierarchy ofintrigues
of not having kept his promise to deliver ammunition, and of fleeing the battlefield in Bakhmout.
If everything is done to deceive the commander-in-chief [Vladimir Poutine]then either the commander-in-chief will tear your c.. or it will be the Russian people who will be furious if the war is lost
he launched in his usual flowery language.
Snipers on the roof of a building during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow.
Photo : Archyde.com / MOSCOW NEWS AGENCY
The commemorations of May 9 are also taking place under reinforced protection, after the multiplication of attacks on Russian territory attributed to kyiv by Moscow.
The most spectacular attack, though it raised many questions and kyiv denied responsibility, was an apparent drone strike on the Kremlin last week.
There were also strikes against energy installations, sabotage of railways and multiple attempts or assassinations of personalities.
As a result, parades and demonstrations planned in several cities have been cancelled, particularly in the border regions of Ukraine, the authorities advancing a risk terrorist
.
But Moscow continues its bombardments on Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 23 of the 25 Russian cruise missiles launched overnight over the country.
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