Putin promises to defend Russian interests
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed Russia will “firmly” defend national interests and denounced the return of “Russophobia,” as the country marked the 76th anniversary of victory in World War II.
Putin stood beside Soviet war veterans on a review platform set up on Red Square and spoke at the start of an annual parade that sees military hardware roll through the streets of Moscow.
“The Soviet people kept their sacred oath, defended the homeland and freed the countries of Europe from the black plague,” Putin told the crowd. “Russia consistently defends international law. At the same time, we will firmly defend our national interests to ensure the safety of our people,” he said.
The Russian leader also condemned what he called a creeping return of ideologies of the time, when “slogans of racial and national superiority, of anti-semitism and Russophobia, became ever more cynical.”
“Unfortunately, many of the ideologies of the Nazis, those who were obsessed with the delusional theory of their exclusiveness, are again trying to be put into service,” he said, without citing specifics.
Russian service members drive BMD-4M infantry fighting vehicles during military parade for Victory Day, which marks the 76th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in Red Square in Moscow on Sunday.
More than 12,000 military personnel took part in Monday's parade, as well as some 190 pieces of military equipment, including the renowned WWII-era T-34 tank and the hulking eight-axle Yars mobile ICBM launchers, and 76 fighter jets and helicopters.
This year’s parade precedes parliamentary elections in September and comes at a time when Moscow’s relations with the West are acutely strained over issues ranging from the conflict in Ukraine to the fate of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Victory Day parades, which only became an annual event after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, also took place on Monday in dozens of cities across the nation.
A survey this week by pollster VTsIOM showed that 69 percent of Russians view Victory Day as the most important holiday on the calendar.
A third of respondents said they would take part in the celebrations.
“For me and my family, this holiday marks the victory of the entire Russian people,” Yulia Gulevskikh, a 31-year-old accountant in Vladivostok said. “We are proud, remember and honor all our relatives and friends. And all the brave soldiers,” she added.
