Putin: We are fighting for Russia’s security – The West was preparing to invade our country

LAST UPDATE: 11.21

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of Victory Day, Russia’s annual celebration of victory over Nazi Germany.

Putin congratulated the veterans who fought valiantly for the liberation of the country from the Nazi invaders and paid tribute to their work, which allowed the defeat of Nazism and the achievement of a holy victory. He noted that the defense of the homeland is always sacred and also stressed that Russia, unlike the West, will never give up its love for the homeland, its faith, its traditional values.

The Russian president stressed in his speech that “we are fighting for the security of Russia.” Putin also paid a special tribute to the participants in the “special operation” in Donbas. “Now, these days, you are fighting for our people in Donbass, for the security of our homeland,” he said. “The death of every soldier and officer is painful for us. The state will do everything to take care of their families,” he added.

“It’s our duty to preserve the memory of those who defeated Nazism,” he said, adding that “the West was preparing to invade our country. NATO posed a threat to our borders. “.

He said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was necessary because the West was “preparing for an invasion of our territories, including Crimea.”

“Preparations were under way for another operation in Donbas, for an invasion of our territories, including Crimea. Kyiv was talking about a possible acquisition of nuclear weapons. NATO has begun active military development in territories adjacent to us,” he said.

“The enemies have tried to use terrorists against Russia,” Putin said in a statement.

“The special military operation was necessary and it was a timely measure. It was the only right decision,” he said, adding that US veterans were barred from attending the parade in Moscow.

“We saw how the military infrastructure was developed, how hundreds of foreign advisers started working, there were regular deliveries of the most modern weapons from NATO countries. The danger was growing day by day. Russia responded cautiously to the attack, it was a forced, timely and “The right decision, the decision of a sovereign, strong and independent country,” said the Russian president.

Putin also said that despite the differences in international relations, Russia has always supported the creation of an equal and indivisible security system.

“Last December, we proposed the conclusion of a security guarantee treaty. Russia called on the West to engage in a sincere dialogue, to seek rational, compromise solutions, to take into account the interests of the other. All in vain. NATO countries did not want “to listen to us and that means they actually had completely different plans,” he said characteristically.

Putin ended his speech by saying: “For Russia, for victory, long live!”.

Putin’s speech – lasting about 11 minutes – on the 75th day of the war in Ukraine did not provide any evidence of the course of the war, according to Reuters. According to the agency, his speech was mostly remarkable for what he did not say.

He did not name Ukraine, made any assessment of the progress of the war and gave no indication of how long it could go on. He did not mention the bloody battle for Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters have taken refuge in Azovstal and continue to defy the Russian invasion.

Eleven thousand soldiers take part in the military parade in Red Square, in which the best Russian-made battle tanks take part. In addition to Moscow, parades are taking place in 27 other Russian cities.

In the following video you can see the military parade that took place in Red Square as well as the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Read also: