Russia: The last rehearsals before the military parade on May 9 – See photos

THE Russia held today the last rehearsals before the traditional military parade May 9 in Moscow, as part of the celebrations for the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, which will be an occasion for a show of strength invasion of Ukraine.

In recent years, President Vladimir Putin has used this parade to demonstrate the strength of his armed forces, in some cases revealing new state-of-the-art weapons. And this time he is expected to do the same.

Demonstration of power in the parade

During the rehearsal, paratroopers who took part in the attack in Ukraine paraded in armored vehicles and are therefore expected to be “present” in Monday’s parade, notes the state news agency TASS, as reported by AFP.

This year, although tanks and Russian troops will parade as usual on the iconic Red Square, the focus will be on Ukraine, where Moscow has launched an offensive since late February that has called into question the image of its armed forces. .

Thermonuclear rockets in the rehearsals for the May 9 parade

It is noted that nuclear missiles also took part in the rehearsals for the military parade.

According to a Daily Mail article, the RS-24 Yars thermonuclear ballistic missile, which experts believe can carry up to 10 warheads, also took part in Saturday’s rehearsals.

The intercontinental balloon, according to the report, weighs 49.6 tonnes, can travel up to 24,500 km / h and is capable of hitting targets up to 12,000 km away – meaning it could hit London or New York in few minutes.

The weapon of mass destruction was followed by several Iskander-M rocket launchers. Eight MiG-29 fighters also flew in a “Z” formation – the insignia used by Putin’s army as a symbol of its military action in Ukraine, which critics likened to the swastika used by the Nazis.

The plane of Revelation

As the parade is watched closely by Western capitals, Putin will have a new opportunity to send warnings, as Moscow has repeatedly mentioned the nuclear threat. It is noted that while in the past some argued that this day Vladimir Putin would announce on May 9 the end of the invasion of Ukraine, new information from Reuters raises fears. According to them, Putin from the Red Square, on Monday, will warn the West about the “fate of the world”».

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the “Apocalypse aircraft”, an Ilyushin Il-80, specially designed to allow the Russian president to continue to rule the country from the air, in case of a nuclear war, will fly over the Red Square.

The parade will involve weapons that could launch nuclear missiles, such as the Iars RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile system and the Iskander system, which are smaller in range.

What Putin is expected to say

Rumors are circulating in Moscow and the western capitals that Putin is preparing to make a brief statement specifically on Ukraine, perhaps an explicit declaration of war or even a general mobilization.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov dismissed the allegations on Wednesday, calling them “nonsense.”.

The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment from Putin, who will address the Red Square in front of Lenin’s Mausoleum.

In his speech last year, Putin spoke out against Western selectivity and the rising trends of neo-Nazism and Russophobia.to which he returns again and again when referring to the issue of Ukraine.

The parade of Russia without the presence of foreign leaders

It is noted that US President George W. Bush Jr., less than two decades ago, had attended the May 9 celebrations at the invitation of President Putin. No foreign leaders have been invited this year, the Kremlin has said.

The United States and its allies have stepped up arms supplies to Ukraine, and Putin has called on some Russian troops to launch more firearms into Ukraine, two imgs close to the armed forces told Reuters. Moscow has told the West that it considers the weapons it sends to Ukraine to be legitimate targets.