World War II commemoration: Putin justifies war against Ukraine in military parade

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin used the traditional military parade on the red place to justify his invasion in Ukraine. “Russia remains an insurmountable obstacle to Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism,” he said in front of over 10,000 soldiers and numerous international state guests in the stands for the Russian “Day of victory” about Nazi Germany 80 years ago. Moscow will continue to fight hard against the representatives of such aggressive and destructive ideas, he announced.

Truth and justice are on the side of Russia, said the Kremlin chief with a view to his war in Ukraine. He added that all of Russia supported the fighters of “military special surgery” – as the Kremlin describes its invasion in the neighboring country.

Putin indirectly contradicts Trump

Putin emphasized that the soldiers of the Soviet Army had made the decisive part of victory in Hitler-Germany in World War II. In doing so, he indirectly contradicted US President Donald Trump, who had previously described the contribution of the US Army as crucial. The 72-year-old Kremlin boss admitted that the opening of a second front in Europe after the breakdown of large parts of the Wehrmacht in the Soviet Union accelerated the victory.

While he did not call the Allied France, Great Britain and the USA individually, Putin separated the contribution of China separately in the war. China’s state and party leader XI Jinping was the highest foreign state guest right next to Putin on the stands. However, no official representatives came from the western Allies because of the Russian War.

Slovak Robert Fico in Moscow is the only head of government of an EU and NATO country. Serbian head of state Aleksandar Vucic also took part in around 10,000 soldiers in Moscow on the parade. In addition to Russian soldiers, units from several other ex-Soviet republics, but also from China, Laos, Myanmar and Egypt, also marched across the Red Square. Among the Russian soldiers were also fighters who use Moscow against Ukraine in his war.

Conversation with North Korean military

After the parade, Putin also welcomed the North Korean soldiers. He wishes all fighters health, he said in a conversation with the generals sent from Pyongyang. North Korea took part in the fights against the Ukrainians alongside Russia. Korean soldiers were used at the reconquest of borders close to the West Russian region of Kursk, which the Ukrainian military overran last summer in a surprising counterattack.

Pyongyang and Moscow officially only admitted the participation of North Korean soldiers when the allegedly complete liberation from Kursk. According to Kiev, Ukrainian troops still hold a small bridgehead in the neighboring country, which is intended to serve to tie Russian troops and prevent their further advance in the Ukrainian area.

Wreath laying and reception

After the military parade, Putin put a wreath for the fallen on the tomb of the unknown soldier. Then he invited the state guests to a reception. “I suggest a toast for the glorious generation of the winners, in honor of truth and justice and blooming our states and peoples,” quotes him, the state news agency TASS.

However, not all heads of state remained in Moscow until the reception. The ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukaschenko, flew back to Minsk immediately after the military parade. There the 70-year-old holds his own celebrations at the end of the World War II.