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Victory Day, Ukraine Shadow
Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany on Friday with a parade on Moscow’s Red Square, with President Vladimir Putin using the event to tie the war to today’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany on Friday with a parade attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping”
NBC News reported that “Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany on Friday with a parade attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping,” as thousands of troops marched under tight security after Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow this week.
The BBC said Putin led Russia’s Victory Day commemorations “with a parade in Red Square and heightened security after days of Ukrainian strikes targeting the capital,” while a unilateral, three-day ceasefire announced by Russia to coincide with the 80th anniversary event was rejected by Ukraine.
In the Kremlin’s framing, Putin told the more than 11,500 military personnel that the Kremlin said had gathered for the parade that “Truth and justice are on our side,” and the BBC reported that he said all of Russia was behind what he called the “special military operation.”
Ceasefire Clash and Diplomats
Ukraine rejected Russia’s unilateral, three-day ceasefire, and the BBC said Kyiv has labelled the truce as a farce, accusing Russia of launching thousands of attacks since it came into force at midnight on Wednesday.
In a statement carried by CNN, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, said, “The Kremlin’s proposal for a three-day truce is not about peace, but about ensuring the safe conduct of the parade in Moscow. This is political manipulation,” and the BBC reported that Russia accuses Ukraine of hundreds of violations.
The BBC also reported that Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he had high hopes that a full ceasefire could be agreed as soon as this weekend, adding that Russia’s three-day truce is set to end on Saturday night.
At the same time, NBC News said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned world leaders against attending the commemorations, and it quoted Lula insisting that standing with Putin in Red Square “will not strengthen” the Russian leader.
NBC News further reported that Xi and Putin said they would deepen military and other ties and “strengthen coordination and jointly respond firmly to the United States’ policy of ‘dual containment’ against both countries.”
Alliances on Display
The parade’s guest list and military contingents underscored Russia’s alliances, with the BBC saying Russia said 27 world leaders were attending and that the presence of China’s Xi Jinping, alongside Putin and more than 100 Chinese soldiers marching on Red Square, stood out.
“the presence of China's leader, alongside Putin and more than 100 Chinese soldiers marching on Red Square”
NBC News reported that Xi and Putin vowed to strengthen ties and “firmly” counter U.S. influence, and it described Xi’s arrival on Wednesday for a four-day visit shortly after Ukrainian drone attacks disrupted flights in and out of Moscow.
The BBC said Putin personally greeted some North Koreans on Red Square and that he hugged three-star general Kim Yong-bok, while it also reported that Russia’s pivot to the east was underlined by military contingents from North Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia.
In the diplomatic spotlight, NBC News said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told NBC News that Zelenskyy had asked him to deliver a message to Putin calling for a sustained ceasefire, while Lula insisted that standing with Putin in Red Square “will not strengthen” the Russian leader.
As the commemorations unfolded under heightened security, the BBC reported that the commander of ground troops, Oleg Salyukov, led 11,000 troops into Red Square, including some 1,500 who had fought in Ukraine, and Defence Minister Andrei Belousov inspected them before Putin’s address.
