"Vladimir Putin has declared Russia will always be victorious as he oversaw a scaled-back Victory Day parade on Red Square held under heavy security amid mounting fears of Ukrainian attacks and growing public fatigue with the war. Speaking to the crowd, the Russian leader invoked the sacrifices of the second world war to rally support for his soldiers fighting in the war in Ukraine. The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the warriors carrying out the tasks of the special military operation today, he said, using the Kremlin's preferred euphemism for his invasion of Ukraine."
"They stand against an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire Nato bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward. Victory has always been and will always be ours. Despite the confident rhetoric, this year's parade laid bare a moment of acute weakness for the Russian president. Moscow on Saturday was blanketed in heavy security, with internet services switched off across the city as Ukraine continued to rattle the Kremlin with long-range drone and missile strikes forcing organisers to strip the event of its usual pageantry."
"It was not until the final hours that it became clear Ukraine would not disrupt the proceedings. On the eve of the parade, the US president, Donald Trump, announced Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange. The customary display of missiles and armoured vehicles, a fixture of the parade since Putin introduced military hardware in 2017, was absent entirely. In its place, guests were shown a video showcasing Russia's drone capabilities and nuclear arsenal."
"The audience, which included a small delegation of foreign leaders from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, also watched as a column of North Korean soldiers marched across the square. North Korea has emerged as one of Russia's closest allies in recent years, with its troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The parade lasted about 45 minutes, roughly hal"
Vladimir Putin declared that Russia will always be victorious during a scaled-down Victory Day parade on Red Square under heavy security. He invoked World War II sacrifices to rally support for soldiers fighting in Ukraine, calling the conflict a “special military operation” and portraying Russian forces as advancing against an aggressive NATO-backed force. Moscow faced mounting fears of Ukrainian long-range drone and missile strikes, leading to reduced pageantry and internet services being switched off. A three-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange was announced by the US president on the eve of the parade. The usual parade hardware display was absent, replaced by a video highlighting drone capabilities and the nuclear arsenal. A column of North Korean soldiers marched, reflecting close ties as troops fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
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Read at www.theguardian.com
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