Vladimir Putin warned this Thursday during the commemoration of the Soviet victory against the Nazis in 1945 that strategic nuclear forces are “always” on alert, amid tensions with the West due to the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian president presided over the May 9 military parade in Red Square to commemorate Victory Dayin which more than 9,000 soldiers participate, according to Russian media, as well as armored vehicles, missile launchers and aircraft.
“Russia will do everything possible to avoid a global confrontation, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces [nucleares] “They are always on alert.”said the Russian president.
In another sign of the deepening rift with the West, Putin recently ordered tactical nuclear exercises involving troops stationed near Ukraine, in response to Western “threats” directed at Russia.
On Thursday, Putin accused the West of wanting to “forget the lessons” of the Second World War and stated that Russia, which presents itself as a counterweight to Anglo-Saxon influence, rejects “the pretension of exclusivity” of any government or alliance.
He then reaffirmed that Russia, in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine, is experiencing a “difficult period.” “The fate of the homeland and its future depend on each of us,” she said, remembering the “heroes” fighting for Moscow on the front.
Putin, 71, presents the assault on Ukraine as an existential conflict for his country in a fight against a Ukrainian government that he describes as “neo-Nazi.”
The head of the Kremlin has long mobilized the memory of the Second World War, in which 27 million people died on the Soviet side, to present himself as heir to the Soviet Union and legitimize his own power.
The parade in Red square of moscu has been hit by the diplomatic and security fallout from the assault on Ukraine and Putin, isolated on the international stage, was surrounded by only a few heads of state from close allies on Thursday.
Among them were the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, according to the Kremlin, which said that those from Cuba and Laos were also invited.
Some parades have also been canceled for “security” reasons, in particular in the Kursk regions, near the Ukrainian border or Pskov, next to Estonia.
The daily lives of Russians have been disrupted by the conflict and Ukraine has multiplied attacks on Russian territory in recent months.
Border regions, such as Belgorodare a recurring target of attacks, responding, according to kyiv, to those of Russia in Ukraine.
Last year’s parade was much more modest than in previous years, with very little modern equipment and when Russian troops were massively mobilized on the front. Russia had then just suffered a series of failures on the ground.
A year later, the situation is quite different: the Russian army has suffered significant losses and is unable to make a real breakthrough, but has recently made territorial gains against the struggling Ukrainian troops.
kyiv’s counteroffensive has failed, and it is Ukraine that now fears that its opponent, which has more men, equipment and ammunition and a more powerful military industry, will launch a large-scale operation come summer.
Fighting continues and two people were killed by Russian bombings in Nikopol, southern Ukraine, local authorities announced on Thursday, while several people were injured in the Russian region of Belgorod by Ukrainian attacks.
On the domestic front, Vladimir Putin’s power is also more indisputable than ever. The repression crushed all dissident voices and his great opponent, Alexei Navalny, died in prison in mid-February in circumstances that are still unclear.
(With information from AFP)
