Russian President Vladimir Putin took over the center of attention at the Russian Victory Day parade on Friday (9).
Surrounded by world leaders in a highly choreographed spectacle, the parade was created to show the western world that Russia is far from isolated.
Watching the march of thousands of troops through the Red Square of Moscow, Putin was next to the guest of honor, Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The annual celebration of May 9 of the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany in World War II is one of the most important days of the Russian President’s calendar and this year the 80th anniversary is completed.
Traditionally, the day is dedicated to the estimated 25 to 27 million soldiers and Soviet civilians who died during the conflict.
But since Russia launched a large -scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, victory day has become another propaganda exercise, with Putin framing the war against the much smaller neighbor, as a continuation of what Russians call great patriotic war.
And while the celebrations have been discreet in the last three years, Russia has not contained this time.
Putin and Xi were accompanied by dozens of other world leaders, most of whom was the black and orange tape of St. George attached to the lapel.
Many of them also sent troops to march in the parade, alongside Russian military.
The Russian military symbol dates back to imperial times, but has become extremely controversial in recent years, having been co-opted as a sign of support for Moscow aggression against Ukraine. It was banned in several countries.
Leaders Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from Brazil, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt, Aleksandar Vucic, from Serbia, Nicolás Maduro da Venezuela and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, were present, marking a significant improvement from last year’s guest list, limited to some delegations from post-Soviet countries, Cuba and some other countries.
Robert Fos, Prime Minister of Slovakia, a Member State of the European Union, was also in Moscow on Friday (9).
His presence alongside Putin was particularly significant, given the hard posture of the EU against Russia for assault on Ukraine.
Exhibition at the parade
The weaponry and the number of troops on display have also been improved compared to the last years, when Russia has clearly had difficulty holding an impressive military spectacle.
The parade has only one tank in the last two years, and the usual flyfish of military aircraft over the Red Square was canceled in 2022 and 2023.
A selection of tanks, modern and historical, was on display this year, and the Russian state media reported the participation of about 11,500 soldiers.
For the first time, Russian drones were also on display, including the Russian version of the Iranian design shaned drone, known as Geranium-2.
Unilateral ceasefire violated several times
The parade takes place at a time when US -led negotiations to end Ukraine’s war seem to have stagnated despite a wave of diplomatic activities in recent weeks.
Russia has so far refused to sign the American proposal of a 30-day ceasefire, with which Ukraine had already agreed.
Instead, Putin declared a three -day unilateral truce near his birthday – an announcement that was promptly rejected by Ukraine.
“Kremlin’s proposal for a three-day truce is not intended for peace, but to ensure the safe driving of the parade in Moscow. This is political manipulation,” said Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, in a statement on Thursday (8).
Kiev stated that if Russia wanted a truce, he should sign the proposal already under discussion.
US President Donald Trump also reiterated the call for 30-day ceasefire on Thursday (8), threatening to apply new sanctions if not respected.
Trump’s comments come after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the second time in less than two weeks, the two leaders have been known to have spoken to each other.
Ukraine said on Friday that Russia violated the ceasefire hundreds of times since it came into force.
Several civilians were killed and injured in attacks with guided bombs against Ukrainian cities, Kiev said.
The country was openly showed indifferent to the smooth running of the Putin parade. He stated that “it cannot be held responsible for what happens in the territory of the Russian Federation” because of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country would not be “playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere that allows Putin to depart from isolation on May 9.”
Moscow said he would protect the security of the parade and the guests.
However, Ukraine was able to interrupt preparation for the parade earlier this week, launching several drone attacks against Moscow.
The drones forced the Russian authorities to temporarily close the four Moscow airports on Wednesday (7).
This made the presence of dozens of foreign delegations in Moscow particularly significant, as they came to demonstrate their support to Putin and Russia, despite the risks.
European countries supporting Ukraine
The European allies of Ukraine demonstrated support for Kiev while Russia paraded their troops on Friday (9).
Dozens of foreign delegations were in the city of LVIV, in western Ukraine, on Friday (9), to support the creation of a special court to investigate crimes of aggression against the country.
EU’s head of foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, United Kingdom Secretary of Foreign Relations David Lammy, Germany’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Johann Wadephul, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and dozens of high-ranking diplomats from other European countries.
In another gesture of solidarity, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also created some logistical complications for international participants in the parade, closing air spaces for diplomatic aircraft to Moscow and forcing several pro-kremlin leaders to redirect their travels to Moscow.
“In the Lethan Society, there is a clear understanding based on principles that Russian propaganda and the glorification of war crimes cannot be supported or encouraged … In this context, Latvia cannot grant diplomatic overflow authorizations for flights that facilitate participation in the event of May 9,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement (9) said.
I am, one of the leaders affected by the closures, criticized the measure, stating on Wednesday that she was “extremely disturbing.”
Vucic was also forced to change route after the Baltic countries said he would not be allowed to enter airspace.
According to Serbian media, he ended up flying via Baku, in Azerbaijan.
This content was originally published in Putin watches Victory Day parade with world leaders in Moscow on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
