LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin elicited the memory of Soviet heroism in World War II to inspire his army fighting in Ukraine, but offered no new road chart to palm and conceded the cost in Russian dogfaces ’lives.
Addressing concentrated species of service help on Red Square on the 77th anniversary of palm over Germany, Putin condemned what he called external pitfalls to weaken and divide Russia, and repeated familiar arguments that he’d used to justify Russia’s irruption — that Nato was creating pitfalls right next to its borders.
He directly addressed dogfaces fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which Russia has pledged to “ liberate” from Kyiv’s control.
“ You’re fighting for the motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the assignments of World War II. So that there’s no place in the world for slayers, castigators and Nazis,” he said.
His speech included a nanosecond of silence. “ The death of each one of our dogfaces and officers is our participated grief and an irrecoverable loss for their musketeers and cousins,” said Putin, promising that the state would look after their children and families.
Also Read: Russia Ukraine Conflict Explained
He was addressing Russia on one of its most important periodic leaves when the nation honours the 27 million Soviet citizens who lost their lives in the struggle to master Adolf Hitler — a source of public pride and identity.
But Putin had no palm to advertise in Ukraine and his 11- nanosecond address was largely notable for what he didn’t say.
He didn’t mention Ukraine by name and offered no suggestion of how long the conflict might continue. There was no reference to the battle for Mariupol, where Ukrainian protectors drilled up in the remains of the Azovstal sword workshop were still defying Russia’s assault.
Still, in a televised meeting in his Kremlin office after the cortege, Putin offered condolences to Artyom Zhoga, the father of a Russian legion commander killed in the Donbas region, telling him “ All plans are being fulfilled. A result will be achieved — on that account, there’s no mistrustfulness.”
Putin has constantly likened the war — which he casts as a battle against dangerous “Nazi-inspired chauvinists” in Ukraine — to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Hitler raided in 1941.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said it’s Russia that’s carrying a “ bloody re-enactment of Nazism” in an unprovoked war of aggression.
Also Read: A Cyber Conflict Between Russia and Ukraine
Anteceded by a shifting fanfare, Putin delivered his address after a group of eight high-stepping guards marched across the cobbles of Red Square carrying the Russian tricolour and the red Soviet hammer-and-sickle palm banner, accompanied by stirring martial music.
The fighting forces responded with booming cheers as Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu crossed the forecourt in a black limousine, cheering units including bullet, public guard and paratroop units and felicitating them on the anniversary.
Putin’s speech was followed by a cortege across the vast square featuring Russia’s rearmost Armata and T-90M Proryv tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems and multinational ballistic dumdums.
A planned cover- history was cancelled because of cloudy conditions.
