Putin oversees scaled-back Victory Day parade on Red Square
Key takeaways
- Vladimir Putin has praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine in a speech at Moscow's May 9 parade.
- The traditional Victory Day parade commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
- "Victory has always been and will be ours," Putin said in his speech.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Vladimir Putin has praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine in a speech at Moscow's May 9 parade. The threat of Ukrainian attacks means tanks, missiles and other heavy weapons are absent from this year's event.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DW38Thousands of soldiers took part in the May 9 parade in the Russian capital's Red Square Image: ITAR-TASS/IMAGOAdvertisement Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a scaled-back military parade in Moscow's Red Square on Saturday, saying Russian soldiers in Ukraine were fighting an "aggressive force" backed by all of NATO.
The traditional Victory Day parade commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Images broadcast on state television showed a formation of soldiers carrying the Russian flag into the square.