- Russia marks Victory Day with renewed air strikes on Ukraine
- Putin says the West unleashed war on Russia
- EU chief visits Ukraine for Europe Day
- Kiev says most Russian missiles have been shot down
KIEV, May 9 (Portal) – Russia on Tuesday fired cruise missiles at Kiev and led troops across Red Square for its annual celebration of victory in World War Two, which was pushed back after a failed winter campaign amid shortages of manpower and weapons at the front lines became Ukraine.
In a fiery 10-minute speech outside the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin lashed out at “Western global elites” and said civilizations were at “a crucial tipping point.”
“A real war has been unleashed against our homeland,” said the Russian leader, who last year ordered what the West is calling an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, razing cities and killing thousands of civilians.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underscored how the war has isolated Russia from most parts of Europe and pushed Ukraine closer to the West when she visited Kiev, where she described Ukraine as “the beating heart of today’s European values”.
The holiday commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II is the most important day in the calendar in Russia under Putin, which equates his invasion of Ukraine with Russia’s fight against the Nazis. Ukraine, which suffered proportionally more casualties than Russia in World War II, calls it an abuse of shared history to justify aggression.
The parade was full of traditional grandeur but unmistakably smaller than in previous years. Instead of phalanxes of modern main battle tanks, a single WWII T-34 rolled across the square. The usual fighter jet flyover was cancelled.
Putin’s message was also undermined by a new, obscene tirade by Russia’s private army chief Wagner, targeting Moscow’s generals for not providing its armed forces with enough weapons.
“Yesterday came a combat order clearly stating that if we leave our positions (in Bakhmut) it will be considered treason,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. “(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones to ask who is really betraying the motherland.”
MISSILE ATTACKS OVERNIGHT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow failed to capture Bakhmut despite a self-imposed deadline to present Putin with a battlefield trophy in time for the holidays. Moscow sees the capture of Bakhmut as a springboard for capturing other cities in Ukraine’s industrial east.
Ukraine said its air defenses shot down 23 of 25 Russian cruise missiles fired mostly at the capital Kiev overnight and no casualties were reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had “launched a concentrated strike with long-range, highly accurate, sea- and airborne weapons against enemy barracks and ammunition depots.”
[1/7] A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system drives in Red Square during a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2023. Sputnik/ Gavriil Grigorov/ Pool via Portal
After a weeks-long hiatus, Russia resumed its tactics of long-range missile attacks on Ukraine in late April, launching a series of attacks in recent days.
The day offered Zelenskyy an opportunity to demonstrate Ukraine’s clear departure from Moscow by hosting von der Leyen.
“Our efforts for a united Europe, for security and peace must be as strong as Russia’s desire to destroy our security, our freedom, our Europe,” Zelenskyy said at their joint press conference.
SUFFICIENT NOTE
Putin struck a rousing tone in his Victory Day speech, saying that all of Russia is praying for its heroes on the front lines, concluding with a cheer for “Russia, for our brave armed forces, for victory!”.
After he spoke, a band broke out and cannons fired a salute. Soldiers marched across the square, followed by armored vehicles and nuclear-capable ICBMs.
But the Moscow parade was much shorter than usual. Security concerns after attacks, including drones that exploded over the Kremlin citadel last week, led to parades in some other cities being scaled back or cancelled. The traditional “Immortal Regiment” processions, in which people carry portraits of relatives who fought against the Nazis, have been cancelled.
In Kiev there were no reported casualties from Russia’s latest spate of airstrikes on the capital. Debris fell on a house in Holosiivskyi district, south-west of Kiev, but caused little damage, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Debris lay on a street in central Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
“As at the front, the aggressor’s plans failed,” said Sergei Popko, head of the military administration of the city of Kiev.
Russia has stepped up its attacks in anticipation of a looming Ukrainian counteroffensive after Moscow’s winter campaign gained little territory despite the bloodiest ground fighting in Europe since World War II.
Russia marks the Nazi surrender of May 8, 1945 the following day because it came into effect when it was past midnight in Moscow. Ukraine symbolized its break with Moscow on Monday by announcing that it would extend its observance to June 8.
Instead, 9 May was declared Europe Day, a date commemorated by the EU to commemorate the post-war integration movement that led to the creation of the European Union.
“Kiev, as the capital of Ukraine, is the beating heart of today’s European values,” said von der Leyen at her press conference with Zelenskyy. “Ukraine is fighting bravely for the ideals of Europe that we are celebrating today.”
Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Robert Birsel
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