…By Babatunde Lucas for TDPel Media.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square, where he referred to the conflict in Ukraine as a “real war” that has been unleashed against Russia.
Putin also stated that the world is at a turning point and that his country wants to see a peaceful, free, and stable future.
He welcomed soldiers who were fighting in Ukraine and attended the parade and concluded his speech with a call to Russia, the armed forces, and victory.
Prior to the parade, Russia launched a barrage of 25 cruise missiles on Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The missiles were intercepted, and 23 of them were destroyed by air defence.
The Ukrainian air force reported that eight Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from carriers in the Black Sea, and 17 were launched from strategic aircraft.
The missile attack took place as Russia and other cities were preparing to celebrate Victory Day, the country’s biggest secular holiday that commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
This year’s celebrations have been significantly overshadowed by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Many Russian cities cancelled their military parades, which are the staple of celebrations across Russia, for the first time in years, while the Immortal Regiment processions, another holiday pillar in which crowds take to the streets holding portraits of relatives who died or served in the Second World War, were cancelled in dozens of cities.
The cancellations were blamed on “security concerns,” but some speculated that they were due to fears that Russians might take portraits of relatives who died in Ukraine, illustrating the scale of Russia’s losses in the conflict.
Moscow’s flagship parade on Red Square was expected to project a show of force, with top-notch military equipment and leaders of ex-Soviet nations standing beside Putin.
Initially, only one of them was expected to attend, but at the last minute, officials confirmed that leaders of several other nations were heading to Moscow as well.
These celebrations come after ambiguous official reports last week that two Ukrainian drones flew into the heart of Moscow under the cover of darkness and reached the Kremlin before being shot down.
The Kremlin claimed it was an attempt on Putin’s life, but Ukraine denied any involvement.