Russia defending ‘Motherland’ as Ukraine war rages: Putin

Russian ambassador doused in red by anti-war protesters in Poland

FE Team | Published: May 09, 2022 21:55:18

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at an annual military parade in Red Square, Moscow, as the country celebrated its Victory Day, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 — AFP

MOSCOW, May 09 (AFP/Reuters): President Vladimir Putin on Monday insisted Russia was defending the "Motherland" by its war in Ukraine, as Moscow staged a show of force at a military parade marking the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky sought, however, to undercut his Russian rival's display of might, saying Kyiv would not allow Moscow to appropriate the Soviet Union's triumph in World War II.
Putin blamed the West and Ukraine for today's conflict, telling thousands of troops in Moscow's Red Square that Russia faced an "absolutely unacceptable
threat" and warning against the "horror of a global war".
But as huge intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled through the square, Putin made no major announcements, despite reports in the West that he could unveil an escalation of the Ukraine invasion.
The war, now well into its third month, is currently focused on eastern Ukraine. Russia is seeking to secure the region, having tried and failed to take the capital Kyiv and the north.
An AFP team saw columns of trucks filled with soldiers and heavy equipment move down the main road leading away from the city of Severodonetsk, suggesting Ukraine was giving up the defence of its last stronghold in the eastern Lugansk region.
Russian forces were heavily shelling the roads, while the Ukrainians were firing back to help cover the apparent pullout.
Meanwhile, the Russian ambassador to Poland was doused in a red substance on Monday by people protesting against the war in Ukraine as he went to lay flowers at the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw to mark the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
The war in Ukraine has cast a shadow over this year's Victory Day, when Moscow honours the 27 million Soviet citizens who lost their lives in World War Two. Poland, a strong supporter of Ukraine in its resistance to Russia's invasion, opposed any large-scale commemoration taking place.
Video footage posted on Twitter showed the protesters, some with Ukrainian flags, surrounding the Russian delegation and chanting "fascists" before the ambassador was doused in the red substance.