On the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over the Nazis, Vladimir Putin vowed Russia would be victorious in Ukraine during a military parade on Red Square.
As Moscow’s troops fight on in Ukraine and after days of sabotage attacks at home, Russians celebrated Tuesday’s World War II Victory Day, hoping for a win on the modern battlefield.
President Vladimir Putin frequently portrays the campaign in Ukraine as a reiteration of the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany 80 years ago.
Many Russians have absorbed the narrative, helped by an effective ban on campaign criticism.
At the entrance to Moscow’s central Gorky Park, people took selfies near towering symbols of Russia’s forces in Ukraine as patriotic music blasted out from speakers nearby.
The conflict in Ukraine has dragged on far longer than many expected, with most in Russia believing last year in a quick victory for the Kremlin.
In a speech on Red Square, Putin said Russia’s future “rests on” its soldiers at the front and that the whole country was “praying” for them.
