Russia’s warning to the West
President Vladimir Putin pledged that Russia would defend its national interests ‘‘firmly’’ as he oversaw a military parade on Red Square yesterday to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
The parade came amid rising tensions with the United States and other Nato member states over a host of issues including alleged Kremlin cyber-hacking and Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders. The two sides have engaged in tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions in recent weeks.
Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other military hardware rolled past the Kremlin’s walls during a parade involving 12,000 Russian troops, with Putin, 68, watching from a stand that also seated Soviet war veterans. Above Red Square, Su-35 fighter jets accompanied a TU-160 strategic nuclear bomber in a dramatic flyover. At the end of the parade, Su-25s soared high above the city, trailing exhaust fumes in the white, blue and red colours of the Russian flag. ‘‘We will firmly defend our national interests to ensure the safety of our people,’’ said Putin. He hailed Russia’s ‘‘valiant’’ armed forces, describing them as ‘‘the heirs of the soldiers of victory’’ and lashed out at what he said were growing anti-Russian attitudes in the West.
He warned recently of a tough response if Western countries crossed Russia’s ‘‘red lines’’.
He praised the Soviet people for ‘‘freeing’’ Europe from the ‘‘plague’’ of Nazism but added: ‘‘Unfortunately, many of the ideologies of the Nazis, those who were obsessed with the delusional theory of their exclusiveness, are again trying to be put into service.’’ About 27 million Soviet citizens and soldiers died during the war.
Access to Red Square was by invitation only but cheering crowds waving Russian flags gathered in the centre of the city as missiles, tanks and armoured vehicles rumbled back to their bases. Victory Day parades also took place in dozens of towns and cities across Russia, as well as at a Russian military base in Syria.
Putin’s comments follow an accusation by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, last week that Russia was guilty of ‘‘reckless and aggressive actions’’ on Ukraine’s borders.
An estimated 100,000 Russian troops as well as fighter jets and tanks have been massed on Ukraine’s eastern border and in Crimea, which Putin annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia said the buildup was part of an exercise aimed at countering Nato drills involving 28,000 troops that are taking place across eastern Europe.