Under Putin, Russia justified its attack in Ukraine. (FILE)
Moscow:
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Sunday that “just as in 1945, victory will be ours” as he congratulated the countries of the former Soviet Union on the 77th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Monday.
“Today, our soldiers, as their ancestors, are fighting side by side to liberate their homeland from Nazi uncleanness in the belief that, as in 1945, war Victory will be ours,” said Putin, who sent Russian troops into Ukraine in February. .
Today, our common task is to prevent the rebirth of Nazism, which has caused so much suffering to people of all countries. He added that he hopes “new generations can live up to the memory of their fathers and grandfathers”.
Putin also mentioned extensively not only the soldiers but also the civilians on “the homeland front … who crushed Nazism at the cost of countless sacrifices”.
“Sadly, today Nazism has once again raised its head,” accused Putin, who stressed that Ukraine was in the grip of fascism and a threat to Russia. and the Russian-speaking minority in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow claims is “liberated”.
“Our sacred duty is to retain the ideological successors of those who have been defeated” during World War II, which Moscow called the “great patriotic war,” Putin said. he called on the Russians to “revenge”.
He also said he wished “all Ukrainians a peaceful and just future”.
On Monday, Moscow will officially celebrate its victory over Nazi Germany with a giant military parade.
Under Putin, Russia has justified the attack in Ukraine, carried out on 24 February, as a “special operation” aimed at “demilitarizing” and “demilitarizing” its neighbour, a former Soviet republic that declared its independence in 1991.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
