Global Courant 2023-05-09 14:48:01
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his country’s Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Tuesday that “a real war” has been unleashed against Russia by the West’s “untamed ambitions” shortly after Kremlin troops launched cruise missiles. rain on Ukrainian targets.
“Today, civilization is once again at a decisive turning point,” Putin said at Moscow’s annual commemorations to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. “A real war has been unleashed against our motherland.”
Since Russia invaded its neighbor more than 14 months ago, Putin has repeatedly portrayed the war in Ukraine as a proxy conflict with the West. The Kremlin’s official narrative of the war has painted a picture of an existential conflict with the West, which according to Moscow, is only using Ukraine as a tool to destroy Russia, rewrite its history and destroy its traditional values. That version of events dominated Russian state media coverage of the war.
In his speech, Putin stressed that the West’s “untamed ambitions, arrogance and impunity” are responsible for the conflict.
Putin welcomed soldiers fighting in Ukraine who attended the parade. “To Russia! To Our Brave Armed Forces! To Victory!” Putin concluded the speech.
Russia unleashed a barrage of cruise missiles on Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, hours before the start of the parade in Moscow this year amid tight security measures.
Kremlin forces launched 25 missiles overnight in a wave of strikes across Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force said, adding that air defenses had successfully destroyed 23.
In a Telegram message, the air force said eight Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from aircraft carriers in the Black Sea towards the east and 17 from strategic aircraft.
The barrage came as Moscow and other cities staged military parades and other festivities to mark Victory Day, Russia’s largest secular holiday that has been significantly overshadowed this year by the war in Ukraine.
Russian media has counted 24 Russian cities that canceled May 9 military parades – the most important celebration in all of Russia – for the first time in years. The Immortal Regiment processions, in which crowds take to the streets carrying portraits of relatives who died or served in World War II — another mainstay of the holiday — have also been canceled in multiple cities.
Regional officials blamed unspecified “security problems”. However, some speculated that the reason behind the cancellation of the Immortal Regiment marches was the fact that Russians might be bringing portraits of family members killed in Ukraine to those processions, illustrating the magnitude of Russia’s losses in the long-running conflict.
Moscow attempted a show of force during its flagship parade on Red Square, with top-notch military equipment thundering through and leaders of ex-Soviet countries standing next to President Vladimir Putin.
Initially only one of them was expected, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, but at the last minute on Monday, officials confirmed that leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan would also go to Moscow.
Still, the parade looked more modest than usual: no military aircraft flew over Red Square and fewer pieces of military equipment were exhibited. For the first time in years, the parade ended within an hour.
The subdued celebrations come after equivocal 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 labeled it an attempt on Putin’s life; Ukraine denied involvement.
