(CNN) President Vladimir Putin delivered a fiery speech at a Victory Day parade in Moscow, accusing the West of waging a “real war” against Russia as the Kremlin staged a military showdown. in stark contrast to his failed campaign on the frontlines of his senseless invasion of Ukraine.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Moscow’s Red Square on Tuesday as part of Russia’s annual parade, an exhibition of patriotism marking the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II. It was on May 8, 1945, (May 9 in Moscow time zone) that Germany signed its Instrument of Surrender in Berlin, ending hostilities in Europe. The USSR suffered the most casualties of any country – about 27 million soldiers and civilians died.
It is the most important day in Putin’s calendar, as he has long used it to rally public support, showcase the country’s military prowess and fight against the historical injustices he sees inflicted on nations. in the West of his country.
Putin spent much of his speech on Tuesday targeting the West and its allies in Ukraine, which is fighting against a Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
“A real war has been unleashed against our motherland,” Putin said on Tuesday, falsely claiming that the West had provoked the war in Ukraine. “We reject international terrorism and to match we will protect the residents of Donbas and save our own safety. Russia has no unfriendly countries in the West or in the East.
“As the majority of people on this planet we want to see a future that is peaceful, free and stable. We believe that any ideology of supremacy because of its nature is abominable, criminal and deadly,” he added.
“The Ukrainian nation has been held hostage by a coup that has led to a criminal regime led by its Western masters.
But with two recent alleged drone attacks on the Kremlin, deepening fissures between senior Russian officials over war tactics, and an anticipated spring offensive in Ukraine, the Tensions in Moscow are high ahead of the second parade since Russia launched its invasion.
Several regions of Russia — many near the border with Ukraine — scaled back preparations for the May 9 spectacle due to security concerns and a lack of military equipment on display.
Putin has historically led the annual military parade in Red Square with displays of military hardware including tanks, missiles, and other weapons systems, before a wreath-laying ceremony. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall, to honor the memory of those who died in wars.
More than 10,000 people and 125 units of various types of weapons and equipment are expected to be shown in the parade as a whole, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Last year the ministry announced 11,000 people and 131 types of weapons were involved in the military parade, with an airshow of 77 aircraft and helicopters.
World leaders such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan have attended the military parade in previous years. But such displays of unity have faded in recent years, after Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Ukraine broke diplomatic ties.
Moscow will be under pressure to step up its defenses and show solidarity on Tuesday, after it said last week’s drone strike on the Kremlin destroyed the most powerful symbol of Russia’s leadership.
Kyiv and its Western allies have exchanged barbed memos with Moscow after accusing Ukraine of carrying out orders from the US in an assassination attempt against Putin. Ukraine and Washington strongly deny the allegations.
The cause of the explosions is unknown, but the optics of a symbolic attack against the Kremlin give it an opportunity to rally support for Putin from Russians as critics continue to speak out against full invasion of Moscow.
On Monday, Russian oligarch Andrey Kovalev called Moscow’s military campaign “a terrible war.”
“The whole world is against us,” he said in a video speech later shared on Telegram.
At the same time, strained relations between senior Russian officials erupted into a public display of divisiveness on Thursday after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to withdraw his forces from the city of Bakhmut because of insufficient support from the Kremlin.
Prigozhin appeared to walk back his comments on Sunday, but the heated outburst showed a lack of morale as Russian forces struggle to break through to the main battleground in eastern Ukraine – ahead of an expected spring offensive from Kyiv in the south.
‘evil is back’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Russia to Nazi Germany as he proposed moving Victory Day celebrations a day earlier in a bill presented to lawmakers, in an effort to distance Kyiv from in the Kremlin celebrations.
Like Russia, Ukraine traditionally celebrates the victory over the Nazis on May 9, but that date is mostly linked to a parade in Moscow.
“It was on May 8 that most of the countries of the world remembered the magnitude of the victory over the Nazis,” Zelensky said on Monday.
“We will not allow the joint victory of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition to be used and we will not allow lies as if the victory could happen without the participation of any country or countries.”
Comparing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Hitler’s expansionist goals, Zelensky said the goal of both regimes was the same — “enslavement or destruction.”
“Unfortunately, evil is back,” he said. “Just as evil hastened our towns and villages, the same is being done today, just as in the past our people were being killed, the same is being done today.”
CNN’s Angela Dewan and Katharina Krebs contributed reporting.