Russia President, Vladimir Putin has accused the West of risking a global conflict.
This came as Russia marked Victory Day, a commemoration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
It is the country’s most important secular holiday.
Putin accused the West of “fueling regional conflicts, inter-ethnic and inter-religious strife and trying to contain sovereign and independent centers of global development.”
He also accused Western elites of forgetting the decisive role played by the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany.
“We know what the exorbitance of such ambitions leads to. Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash,” Putin said on Red Square after Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu reviewed the troops.
He added, “But at the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness.”
Moreover, the Russian President hailed the troops fighting in Ukraine for their courage.
Separately, Sergei Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister, was quoted by a news agency as saying that Russia is warning the West and the United States that it feels obliged to boost its nuclear deterrent due to what it regards as the West’s escalalatory trajectory.
Ryabkov also said that Russia was not changing its own nuclear doctrine but that the global situation was changing.
Victory Day; An Important Part Of Putin’s Political Agenda
Putin has turned Victory Day into a pillar of his rule and a justification of his military action in Ukraine.
Since coming to power on the last day of 1999, Putin has made May 9 an important part of his political agenda, featuring missiles, tanks and fighter jets.
“Victory Day unites all generations,” Putin said as part of his speech in Red Square.
He asserted, “We are going forward relying on our centuries-old traditions and feel confident that together we will ensure a free and secure future of Russia.”
Veterans as well as about 9,000 troops, including about 1,000 who fought in Ukraine, took part in Thursday’s parade.
Although the U.S. and U.K. ambassadors did not attend, Putin was joined by other dignitaries and Presidents of several former Soviet nations along with a few other Moscow allies, including the leaders of Cuba, Guinea-Bissau and Laos.
Many observers see Putin’s focus on World War II as part of his efforts to revive the USSR’s clout and prestige and his reliance on Soviet practices.
In a commentary for Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Nikolay Epplee stated, “It’s the continuous self-identification with the USSR as the victor of Nazism and the lack of any other strong legitimacy that forced the Kremlin to declare ‘denazification’ as the goal of the war.”
He noted that the Russian leadership has “locked itself up in a worldview limited by the Soviet past.”
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