Putin’s Red Square speech accuses West of Russiaphobia

In Russia’s Victory Day speech today, Vladimir Putin claimed they were the innocent victims being targeted by the West.  

Today, Tuesday, May 9, is Victory Day in Russia, meant to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, writes Metro.

In the 10-minute speech, Putin couldn’t help himself but liken the conflict in Ukraine to Germany’s aggression towards the former Soviet Union.

He told the crowds gathered in Red Square, ‘Today, civilization is again at a decisive turning point. A real war has been unleashed against our homeland. We have repulsed international terrorism, we will protect the inhabitants of Donbas, we will ensure our security.’

The Russian president also reiterated his familiar arguments and portrayed Russia as the real victim of the current conflict, citing ‘Western globalist elites’ for spreading ‘hatred and Russophobia.’

He concluded his speech in a rousing call to arms: ‘To Russia! To our brave armed forces! To Victory!’

There was no mention of exactly how Russian forces were going to achieve victory in Ukraine, in light of the much-anticipated counter-offensive. However, he said that he wanted a ‘peaceful future,’ a somewhat bizarre statement as only last night Russia launched 25 missiles in a fresh barrage of strikes against Ukraine.

Victory Day is Russia’s most notable secular holiday, with Moscow and other major cities holding festivities and parades.

But it appears that in excess of 21 Russian towns and cities have decided not to go ahead with Victory Day celebrations. This has been put down to ‘security concerns’ by regional authorities.

However, critics have speculated that if the parades were to proceed, many Russian families might bring portraits of their sons and daughters who have been killed in the war against Ukraine, which would only go to show the massive losses sustained by Russian forces.