Putin talks up Russia’s ‘invincible’ unity
>>MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin told Russians they are “invincible” when standing together as the country yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on lockdown from the coronavirus.
With the number of virus cases surging and authorities urging Russians to stay in their homes, celebrations of this year’s Victory Day were muted after the Kremlin grudgingly agreed to postpone plans for a grand parade with world leaders.
Instead of columns of military hardware and troops parading through Red Square as planned, Mr Putin walked alone to lay flowers at the Eternal Flame outside the red brick walls of the Kremlin.
In a solemn televised speech, he made no mention of the virus, despite Russia having the fifth-highest number of confirmed infections in the world, with nearly 200,000 cases as of yesterday.
But Mr Putin highlighted the sacrifices made by the Soviet Union and hinted at the threat now facing the country.
“Our veterans fought for life, against death. And we will always be equal to their unity and endurance,” Mr Putin said.
“We know and firmly believe that we are invincible when we stand together.”
A ceremonial honour guard marched past Mr Putin after his speech, as Russian television showed images of Red Square empty nearby.
Helicopters, bombers and fighter jets then flew over the city, with some releasing smoke in the red, white and blue of the Russian flag over the Kremlin.
The pandemic hit Russia later than many countries in western Europe but it has seen a major increase in cases in recent days, with more than 10,000 new infections registered every day this week.
Officials yesterday said the number of confirmed infections had risen by 10,817 in the last 24 hours to reach a total of 198,676, putting Russia behind only the US, Spain, Italy and Britain in total cases.
Russia says the increase is due in part to a huge testing campaign, with more than 5.2 million tests carried out so far.
Russia’s reported mortality rate is lower than in many countries, with 1,827 dead from the virus as of yesterday.
Officials credit widespread testing and tracking effort, though critics have cast doubt on the numbers and accused authorities of under-reporting deaths.
The postponed Victory Day parade, which was due to be attended by world leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron of France, had been meant as a major showcase of Russia’s increased global prestige under Mr Putin.
He was also forced to postpone a planned vote last month on constitutional reforms that would have paved the way for him, in power for more than 20 years, to potentially stay in the Kremlin until 2036.