Victory Day, Putin: 'In Ukraine aggressive force backed by NATO'

In the presence of President Vladimir Putin, in the midst of a truce and with the news of the confirmation of the exchange of 2,000 prisoners between Kiev and Moscow, the parade for the 81st anniversary of the victory over Nazi-fascism was held on Red Square . As is tradition, the event opened with a picket procession carrying the Russian and Soviet Union flags, presented as the one raised in Berlin on the day Moscow troops took control of the capital of the Third Reich.

Putin, who spoke to some veterans of what is called the Great Patriotic War in Russia, is accompanied by foreign dignitaries attending the ceremony.

The surrender of the German forces was signed in the late evening of 8 May 1945 (already on 9 May in Moscow), following the previously agreed surrender with the Allied forces on the Western Front, who in fact celebrated V-Day on this date; the Soviet government announced the victory on the morning of 9 May, after the ceremony in Berlin.

The example of the Soviet soldiers who gave their lives to defeat Nazi-fascism today 'inspires the soldiers who perform their duty in the special military operation' in Ukraine and 'resist against an aggressive force that is supported by the entire NATO bloc'.

This was said by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, speaking during the parade on Red Square for the 81st anniversary of the victory in World War II. The event was attended by veterans of the conflict in Ukraine. Putin added that the fate of the country will not be decided by soldiers alone, but by the entire Russian people. "Remaining united, victory will always be ours," the Kremlin chief concluded.