Putin uses Victory Day parade to smear West
Russia wrapped itself in patriotic pageantry for Victory Day yesterday, as President Vladimir Putin celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War by hailing his forces fighting in Ukraine and accusing the West of fuelling conflicts around the world.
Even though few veterans of what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War are still alive 79 years after Berlin fell to the Red Army, the victory remains the most important and widely revered symbol of Russia’s prowess and a key element of national identity.
Mr Putin has turned Victory Day – the country’s most important secular holiday – into a pillar of his nearly quarter century in power.
Two days after beginning his fifth term in office, he led celebrations across Russia that recall the nation’s wartime sacrifice. “We are going forward relying on our centuries-old traditions and feel confident that together we will ensure a free and secure future of Russia,” he said.
As battalions marched by and military hardware rumbled over the cobblestones of Red Square in Moscow, the sky cleared briefly to allow a flypast of warplanes.
Mr Putin hailed the troops fighting in Ukraine as “our heroes” for their courage, resilience and selfdenial, adding that “all of Russia is with you”.
He accused the West of “fuelling regional conflicts, inter-ethnic and inter-religious strife and trying to contain sovereign and independent centres of global development”.
With tensions with Washington over Ukraine soaring to their highest level since the Cold War, Mr Putin issued another stark reminder of Moscow’s nuclear might.
“Russia will do everything to prevent global confrontation, but will not allow anyone to threaten us,” he said.
“Our strategic forces are in combat readiness.”
Nuclear-capable Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles (inset) were paraded across the square, underscoring his message.
Medal-bedecked veterans joined Mr Putin to review the parade, and many – including the president – wore the black-and-orange St George’s ribbon that is traditionally associated with Victory Day. Although the US and UK ambassadors did not attend, Mr Putin was joined by presidents of several former Soviet nations along with a few other Moscow allies, including the leaders of Cuba, Guinea-Bissau and Laos.
The Soviet Union lost about 27 million people in the Second World War, an estimate that many historians consider conservative.