Putin Uses Russia’s Victory Day Parade To Justify Invasion Of Ukraine

Talking to the nation from Purple Sq. forward of the normal army parade right here Monday, the Russian chief mentioned the Kremlin had each indication {that a} conflict with Ukraine, which he says is led by U.S.-backed neo-Nazis, was inevitable, so Moscow took pre-emptive motion.

“The hazard was rising daily, so Russia gave a pre-emptive response to the aggression. It was a compelled, well timed and solely right choice, a call made by the sovereign, robust and unbiased nation,” Mr. Putin mentioned. “We noticed how the army infrastructure was being developed, how tons of of overseas advisers started to work, common deliveries of probably the most fashionable weapons from [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] nations have been occurring.”

Western and Ukrainian officers say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, was unprovoked and is unjustified. For the reason that begin of the battle, Moscow has falsely claimed that the federal government in Kyiv is run by Nazis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who’s Jewish and grew up talking Russian, has argued that, given the lack of greater than eight million Ukrainians throughout World Warfare II, his folks may by no means assist such an ideology.

However many Russians consider the Kremlin’s narrative and assist Russia’s battle towards its former Soviet vassal, in keeping with unbiased and state polls, regardless of early setbacks.

Confronted with stern resistance from Ukrainian forces, Russia’s army has refocused its mission on the nation’s east, and has elevated assaults on railways, electrical-power services and factors the place Western weapons and ammunition are flowing into the nation. Russia has accused Ukraine of sporadic assaults and acts of sabotage on its territory in current weeks.

Some Western officers and analysts had anticipated Mr. Putin to make use of the commemoration of World Warfare II, recognized right here because the Nice Patriotic Warfare, to doubtlessly declare victory in what he has referred to as a particular army operation in Ukraine, or to name for a mass mobilization of Russia’s military and its residents. The Kremlin has dismissed as nonsense hypothesis that it could name for a mass mobilization.

The Kremlin neither declared victory in Ukraine nor ordered a mass mobilization on Monday, however Mr. Putin did emphasize his declare that Russia’s invasion was in response to what he characterised as an existential menace.

“The protection of the Motherland, when its destiny was being determined, has at all times been sacred,” Mr. Putin mentioned.