Vladimir Putin showed his military might on Victory Day and warned: “We will firmly defend our national interests”.

The President of Russia, Vladimir Poutine, assured this Sunday that his country will defend “firmly” its geopolitical interests and denounced the return to the world of racist and “Russophobic” ideologies, during the celebrations of the 76th anniversary of the victory against the Nazis during the Second World War.

More than 12,000 men and 190 vehicles and weapon systems They began to parade after the speech in front of the Head of State and in front of an audience of officers and veterans for this traditional parade which marks the victory over the Nazis in World War II.

“Russia constantly defends international law. At the same time, we will firmly defend our national interests and guarantee the security of our people.“Putin said, before hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniforms gathered in Red Square.

The Russian autocrat assured that the ideas born of Nazism “are updated” and that there is a return of “racist speeches, national superiority, anti-Semitism and Russophobia“.

World War II “brought so much hardship, pain and excruciating tears that it is impossible to forget. Yes there is no forgiveness or justification for those who again raise aggressive plans», Declared the president in front of the veterans and the authorities. Putin has made these warnings when relations with the United States and much of Europe are at their lowest point and when sanctions and expulsions of diplomats intersect, along with mutual accusations on the culprit of this deterioration of links.

The Russian leader referred to warning signs that have been ignored such as “slogans of rational and national superiority, anti-Semitism and Russophobia,” the last word that the Kremlin has been using constantly lately to defend itself against what it is. he considers a West hostile to his interests. and its policies.

“History demands lessons to be learned. But, unfortunately, a lot of the Nazi ideology, those who were obsessed with the delusional superiority theory, are again trying to put it to service“In practice,” said Putin. “And not just all kinds of radicals and international terrorist groups,” he said.

May 9 celebrations across Russia, with military parades through major cities, are a moment of patriotic communion dedicated to the nearly 20 million Soviets killed during the conflict. According to the public polling institute Vtsiom, for 69% of Russians, it is the main holiday of the year.

The air show, which was about to be canceled due to bad weather, had the participation of 76 planes and helicopters: including a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber escorted by four Sukhoi Su-35S fighters, another Tu-160 with the Ilyushin IL-78 mother plane simulating an in-flight refueling operation, the MiG- hypersonic missile 31K Kinzhal Fifth Generation Su-57 Carriers and Fighters.

The last point was marked by the so-called “ Kúbinka diamond ”, an alignment of new Su-30SM and MiG-29 belonging to the aerobatic groups Rússkie Vitiazi (Russian warriors) and Strizhi (swifts), and a flag of Russia drawn in the sky by six Su-25 ground attack aircraft.

The practical absence of foreign leaders on this occasion was justified by the Kremlin by the fact that it was not a round anniversary and, therefore, the presidency did not invite the heads of state and government of other countries, with the exception of the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rajmón, who was already in Moscow where he met Putin the day before.

“For me and my family, it is a holiday that celebrates a victory for the Russian people. We are proud, we remember and honor our loved ones and our brave soldiers, ”Yulia Goulevskikh, an accountant who attended the military parade in her Far Eastern town with her daughter, told Vladivostok.

It was only after the fall of the Soviet Union that the grand military parade on May 9 in Red Square became an annual event.

In more than 20 years in power, Putin has placed this date at the center of his policy, extolling the sacrifice of the Soviets and regularly accusing his Western adversaries of historic anti-Russian “revisionism” for trying to downplay the role of the Soviet Union in the Soviet Union. defeat of Adolf Hitler.

Amid a pandemic, which forced Putin to postpone the shutdown until June of last year, there were few masks in Red Square. According to authorities, this is because the vast majority of participants, such as veterans and the military, have already been vaccinated, as has the Russian president himself.

(With information from EFE, AFP and Europa Press)

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