Russia's future rests on Ukraine war, Putin tells Victory Day parade

Vladimir Putin has said Russia's aboriginal "rests on" the soldiers warring successful Ukraine, during his yearly code to people Victory Day successful Moscow.

"There is thing much important present than your combat effort," helium said.

The subject parade, which commemorates the Soviet triumph implicit Nazi Germany, was scaled backmost this twelvemonth for security.

Mr Putin besides utilized his code to warrant his penetration of Ukraine, portion accusing "Western globalist elites" of provoking conflicts.

Civilisation is again "at a decisive turning point", helium said successful Moscow's Red Square to a assemblage composed of conscionable officials and veterans, arsenic the lawsuit was not unfastened to the public.

Addressing the troops warring successful Ukraine - immoderate of whom were contiguous - Mr Putin said a "real war" had been "unleashed" against Russia. The world is that it was Russia that invaded Ukraine.

"The information of the state rests connected you today, the aboriginal of our statehood and our radical beryllium connected you," helium told them.

This was the 2nd Victory Day parade since Russia launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.

In 1 incidental past week, determination was an alleged drone onslaught connected the Kremlin. Russia claimed it was an effort connected Mr Putin's beingness and pointed the digit squarely astatine Ukraine and the US, but some denied immoderate involvement.

This year's solemnisation had 3,000 less soldiers and little subject hardware connected display. The parade was shorter, portion determination was nary subject flypast and nary modern tanks, which are usually a diagnostic of the parade. On Tuesday, the lone vessel connected show was the T-34 from World War Two.

However, for the archetypal clip since 2020, a fistful of planetary leaders attended.

All the Central Asian leaders were there, including Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Belarusian person Alexander Lukashenko and Armenia's premier curate were besides astatine Red Square.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said the precocious determination of the Central Asian leaders to be "likely indicates their reticence to amusement nonstop and nationalist enactment of the war".

Mr Putin's code followed akin themes to past year, likening the combat with Ukraine's "criminal regime" to the decision of Nazi Germany.

He took purpose astatine the West, saying "their extremity is thing other but to spot the autumn of our country".

Mr Putin said Russia wanted to spot a "peaceful future", but accused Western elites of sowing the seeds of "hatred and Russophobia" and destroying household values.

But overmuch of his code was focused connected his pridefulness for the actions of Russian "heroes" successful Ukraine.

"There is nary origin stronger successful the satellite than our emotion for our equipped forces," said Mr Putin, who stands accused of warfare crimes successful Ukraine by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"To Russia, to our equipped forces," helium concluded, arsenic the Russian nationalist anthem started to play.

After Mr Putin's speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and EU Commission main Ursula von der Leyen held a quality league successful Kyiv.

President Zelensky said that accrued attacks connected Ukraine successful caller weeks had been portion of Russian efforts to "present something" to the subject and governmental leadership, having failed to instrumentality the eastbound metropolis of Bakhmut earlier Victory Day.

"They person to amusement that they destroyed something," helium said.

Ms von der Leyen said "the invaders person been dragged retired of prisons" to combat connected behalf of Russia, which had "dramatically failed" successful the war.

Reacting to Mr Putin's speech, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU indispensable not beryllium intimidated by the Russian leader's "show of force".

"Let's enactment steadfast successful our enactment for Ukraine - arsenic agelong arsenic it is necessary," helium told the European Parliament.