Putin says army fighting 'aggressive' NATO-backed force in Victory Parade address
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that his soldiers in Ukraine were fighting an "aggressive force" backed by all of NATO and described his war goals as "just", in a combative address to the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square.
Putin has made the memory of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II a central narrative of his 25-year rule, and authorities typically mark the parade with pomp and grandeur.
But a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks in recent weeks prompted the Kremlin to ramp up security measures and downsize this year's celebrations.
The parade was vastly scaled back compared to previous years, with no military hardware on display for the first time in nearly two decades and only a handful of foreign dignitaries in attendance -- most of them leaders of Russia's close allies.
Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire over the event, following a last-minute appeal from US President Donald Trump. Moscow had threatened a "massive" strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the proceedings.
In an address to the parade, attended by Russian military units as well as soldiers from North Korea, Putin invoked the Soviet victory to rally support for his army in Ukraine.
"The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today," Putin said.
"They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward," he said.
"I firmly believe that our cause is just," he added later.
- Three-day ceasefire -
After two failed attempts at truces this week by both Russia and Ukraine, Trump announced on Friday a three-day ceasefire between both sides would come into effect from May 9.
"Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War," Trump posted on his Truth Social network, adding the ceasefire would be accompanied by a prisoner exchange.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on Friday ordering the Ukrainian military not to attack the parade and in a separate statement confirmed his government would adhere to the ceasefire to enable the swap of 1,000 detainees from each warring side.
"Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home," Zelensky said, referring to the historic site in the Russian capital where the annual event is held.
Both the Ukrainian air force and Russian defence ministry reported fewer drone attacks overnight.
Now in its fifth year, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and spiralled into Europe's deadliest since World War II.
US-mediated talks on ending the fighting have shown little progress since February, when Washington shifted focus to its war against Iran.
Before Trump's announcement on Friday, Zelensky had balked at the idea of a truce over the parade and warned Moscow's allies against attending.
Russia had threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the commemoration and urged foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital ahead of the event.
Security was tight in the capital before the parade, with AFP reporters seeing empty streets.
Mobile internet was also disrupted.
Only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia and Laos, as well as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, were set to attend, in contrast to high-profile visitors including China's Xi Jinping during last year's event.
Zelensky expressed hope on Friday that US envoys would visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to reboot talks on ending the war.
L.Lawrence--MC-UK
