Putin reviews Russian military might as tensions with West soar
Reuters | Moscow
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
President Vladimir Putin has reviewed Russia's traditional World War II victory parade, a patriotic display of raw military power that this year coincides with soaring tensions with the West.
The anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat, which Russia calls Victory Day, is the country's most significant secular holiday, commemorating the Red Army's military feats and the vast suffering of civilians.
About 27 million Soviet soldiers and civilians were estimated to have died in the war.
This year's parade included more than 12,000 troops and 190 military vehicles traversing Moscow's Red Square, ranging from the renowned WWII-era T-34 tank to the hulking eight-axle Yars mobile intercontinental ballistic missile launcher.
Mr Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, stood beside Soviet war veterans on a review platform set up on Red Square.
"Unfortunately, there are once again attempts to deploy many things from the ideology of the Nazis, those who were obsessed with a delusional theory on their exclusiveness," he said.
"And not only (by) all sorts of radicals and international terrorist groups," he added, in what appeared to be a common denunciation of the West but the Kremlin said was aimed at the rise of neo-Nazism in Europe.
"Russia will, again and again, uphold international law, but at the same time we will firmly protect national interests (and) ensure the security of our people."
This year's parade precedes parliamentary elections in September and comes at a time when Moscow's relations with the West are acutely strained over issues ranging from the conflict in Ukraine to the fate of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The United States and Russia have expelled each other's diplomats in recent months in a series of retaliatory moves and Moscow and EU member states have been involved in a similar tit-for-tat diplomatic dispute.
Sunday's parade follows a massive show of Russian military force near the borders of Ukraine and in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Kyiv in 2014, and an uptick in fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and local government forces.
Moscow said the build-up, which alarmed the West, was a training exercise in response to activity by the NATO military alliance and Ukraine. It has since ordered a withdrawal of some troops.
Smaller military parades took place on Sunday in cities across Russia and in annexed Crimea, and at Russia's Hmeymim airbase in Syria.
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