Putin Says Russian Troops Fight NATO-Backed Aggressive Force at Victory Day Parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin used the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on Saturday to say Russian troops in Ukraine are fighting an "aggressive force" backed by all of NATO and to describe his war goals as "just".

The Kremlin scaled back the parade for the first time in nearly two decades, with no military hardware on display, and officials said the change was due to the "current operational situation" and the threat of Ukrainian attacks.

BBC

Putin linked the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II to Russia’s current military efforts in Ukraine, while the event proceeded under heightened security measures in Moscow.

The parade also included soldiers from North Korea, and Putin addressed hundreds of soldiers assembled in Moscow’s iconic square.

Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire over the commemorations following a last-minute appeal from US President Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire running from May 9 to Monday and said it would be accompanied by a prisoner exchange.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree ordering the Ukrainian military not to attack the parade and said, "Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home."

CBS News

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said extending the ceasefire after May 11 had not yet been discussed, responding to reporters about Trump’s statement that it would be good to extend the ceasefire.

Putin also told soldiers at the scaled-down Victory Day parade that they were "confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc" while he added later that "I firmly believe that our cause is just."

The Moscow Times reported that Russia introduced intermittent internet shutdowns for the duration of the parade, citing increased threats from Ukrainian attacks.

Putin’s Victory Day framing tied the war in Ukraine to Russia’s historic struggle against Nazi Germany, with the speech connecting the "aggressive" NATO-backed force to his "special military operation" narrative.

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France 24 reported that Russian authorities warned that if Ukraine attempts to disrupt Saturday’s festivities, Russia will carry out a "massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv."

The Russian Defence Ministry warned the civilian population there and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of "the need to leave the city promptly" as Moscow maintained heightened security for the parade.

Dailynewsegypt said Russia issued a warning it would target central Kyiv if attempts were made to disrupt the events, while the Russian Foreign Ministry recommended that foreign embassies evacuate their diplomatic staff and citizens from the Ukrainian capital.

As the ceasefire window approached, the Kremlin said the May 9 parade would take place without heavy military equipment for the first time since 2007, and several Russian cities scaled back or cancelled public events.