Putin honors Russian soldiers in Ukraine at Victory Day parade
Vladimir Putin paid tribute on Friday (9) to Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine in a massive parade in Moscow to celebrate the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, in the presence of foreign leaders, including President Lula and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
Coinciding with the celebrations, the Russian president declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine between May 8 and 10, which came into effect at midnight on Thursday (6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Brasília time).
Ukraine, however, called the truce a “farce” and said it had recorded Russian strikes across the front line and hundreds of ceasefire violations.
The Kremlin is taking advantage of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II to revive patriotism in Russia and project strength abroad, with the presence of presidents such as Lula and Xi Jinping.
“The entire country, society and people support the participants in the special military operation in Ukraine,” Putin said in his speech from the rostrum, demonstrating his closeness to Xi.
Nearly 1,500 soldiers who fought in the offensive in Ukraine took part in the colossal parade of 11,000 troops in Moscow's Red Square, according to state media.
“We are proud of your courage and determination, your strength of spirit, which has always led us to victory,” Putin said.
In the face of Putin's diplomatic offensive, several European Union (EU) foreign ministers traveled to the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, where they approved, in coordination with Kiev, the creation of a special court to try Russian officials for aggression against the neighboring country.
Putin argued in his speech that Russia “was and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism.”
The ceremony was attended by 29 leaders from allied countries or important trading partners, such as Brazil and China, but also from Cuba, Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Vietnam.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accompanied by his wife, Cilia Flores, left Red Square making the victory gesture with his fingers.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was also in Moscow, challenging the European Union's strategy of isolating Russia since Putin launched his offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin greeted the North Korean military personnel present at the ceremony and openly celebrated the cooperation between the two countries, at a time when Pyongyang soldiers are fighting alongside Russian troops.
“My best wishes to all of you and all your troops,” Putin told several North Korean military personnel, according to footage shown on Russian television.
After the parade, Putin received Lula and Fico at the Kremlin.
For several days now, the streets of Moscow have been decorated with patriotic symbols, and many shops and restaurants have hung posters to commemorate the 1945 victory.
“The festival makes us proud of our country,” Vladimir, a 40-year-old Muscovite who attended the parade with his pregnant wife and some friends, told AFP.
Ukraine accuses the Russian army of violating the truce hundreds of times, with overnight attacks in Kherson in the south and in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk that left several injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry says its troops are “strictly” adhering to the ceasefire and have only responded to Ukraine’s actions.
In his bid for mediation, US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for an unconditional one-month ceasefire in the conflict and threatened sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed satisfaction with Trump's "very clear appeal", a proposal that already has the support of Finland, the Baltic countries and the United Kingdom, among others.
World War II caused more than 20 million deaths in the Soviet Union and the trauma remains alive in Russian society.
Since the start of the offensive against Ukraine, Russian authorities have banned any criticism of the Armed Forces and intensified repression, which has led to hundreds of people being arrested and thousands of government critics being forced into exile.
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