Russia holds its 80th anniversary Victory Day parade with allies in attendance
Putin says that "all" of Russia supports the offensive in Ukraine. He was accompanied by several international leaders such as Xi Jinping and Nicolas Maduro.
Xi Jinping next to Putin at the Victory Day parade.
This Friday, Russia celebrated the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of its victory over Germany in World War II. As every year, the Russian armed forces staged a military parade on Moscow's Red Square in front of the Kremlin.
This year, as in previous ones since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war with Kiev was an essential part of the context in which the parade took place.
The Kremlin is taking advantage of the commemoration of 80 years since the end of World War II to stoke patriotism in Russia and project strength abroad with the presence of presidents such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
"The whole country, society and people support the participants in the special military operation" in Ukraine, Putin said in a speech from the rostrum at a ceremony attended by more than twenty foreign dignitaries.
About 1,500 troops who fought in the offensive in Ukraine took part in the colossal military parade with about 11,000 troops on Moscow's Red Square, state media reported.
"We are proud of their courage and determination, of their strength of spirit, which has always led us to victory," Putin said.
Putin ordered a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine from May 8 to 10, which came into effect at midnight Thursday (21H00 GMT Wednesday), coinciding with the main patriotic celebration in the Russian calendar.
However, Kiev did not adhere to the ceasefire and denounced on Thursday that it recorded Russian attacks along the entire front line and hundreds of violations of this truce.
Putin defended that Russia "was and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism," at the ceremony attended by 29 leaders of allied countries and important trading partners, which included, besides giants such as China and Brazil, countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Vietnam.
Despite Western powers' policy of isolating Russia on the international stage since Putin launched the offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has defied the European Union's stance.
In addition to the invited leaders, soldiers from thirteen countries are taking part in the grand parade, including troops from China, Vietnam, Burma and Egypt.
Putin greeted the North Korean military present at the ceremony, openly celebrating cooperation between the two countries at a time when Pyongyang troops fight alongside Russian troops.
"My best wishes to all of you and to all your troops," Putin told several North Korean uniformed personnel, according to images broadcast on Russian television.
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