Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the West was waging a “real war” against the country during Tuesday’s scaled-back Victory Day celebrations.
Putin’s speech was a relitigation of the claims he and the Kremlin have been using to justify their invasion of Ukraine, mainly that the West is attempting to squash all things Russia and is aiding Ukraine to destroy them.
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“We believe that any ideology of superiority is inherently disgusting, criminal and deadly,” Russia's president said, according to the Washington Post. “However, Western globalists and elites still talk about their exclusivity, pit people and split society, provoke bloody conflicts and upheavals, sow hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism, and destroy traditional family values that make a person a person.”
In his seven-minute address, the Russian leader alleged “a real war has once again been waged against our homeland. Today, civilization is at a critical juncture” while blaming it on the “Western elites.”
In previous years under Putin, the May 9 Victory Parade, which celebrates Nazi Germany's defeat at the end of World War II, would be a showcase of the Russian military’s capabilities. But not this year, as there was only one tank on hand: a World War II-era T-34 tank.
Putin did not have many military conquests in Ukraine to celebrate in his speech — rather, the opposite. Recent incidents inside Russia, which it has accused Ukraine of being responsible for, led to concern for Thursday's celebrations throughout the nation, and around 20 cities have canceled their parades.
Last week, Moscow accused Ukraine of launching two drones at the Kremlin to assassinate Putin, which Kyiv denied. Some experts speculated the allegation could be a false flag operation designed to feign a provocation by Ukraine so that Russia could preemptively justify its otherwise escalatory action, though U.S. officials said last week it was too soon for them to tell exactly what took place.
Ukraine is expected to launch its highly anticipated counteroffensive in the coming weeks. The U.S. and Western allies have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars of military aid and subsequent training on the more sophisticated weapons for this renewed push in which the country will look to liberate Russian-occupied territories.
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There is thought among some U.S. officials that continued support for Ukraine could be conditioned on how the offensive performs, even though the Biden administration has remained steadfast in vocalizing its efforts.
“The expectation from our counteroffensive campaign is overestimated in the world,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the Post this week. “Most people are … waiting for something huge,” he said, adding that he fears it could lead to “emotional disappointment.”