Putin: Troops fight for ‘ motherland’

Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, says Russia’s troops in Ukraine were “fighting for the motherland, its future” and accuses the West of preparing the ground for “an invasion of our land.” Putin did not, as some analysts expected, use his Victory Day speech on Monday to declare a “war” against Ukraine.

MIKHAIL METZEL/ SPUTNIK/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES