1945 commemorations in Russia: Putin plays the card of confrontation with the West
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his traditional May 9 speech at the foot of the Kremlin in Red Square in Moscow.
AP - Mikhail Metzel
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Russia, the traditional military parade to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany every year took place on May 9.
Equally traditional since coming to power, Vladimir Putin's speech at the foot of the Kremlim was intended to be very martial in a context of strong geopolitical tension with Western countries.
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With our correspondent in Moscow,
Daniel Vallot
The Russian flag, followed by the Soviet flag to celebrate the victory against Nazism.
More than 12,000 troops, and dozens of armored vehicles and missiles marched through the cobblestones of Red Square this Sunday, right in front of Lenin's mausoleum, veterans, officials, and the Russian president.
In his speech, Vladimir Putin is committed to defending the interests of Russia and denounces what he sees as the return to the world of Nazi ideology. “
Unfortunately those who are obsessed with this ideology are trying to use it again. Not just radicals or terrorist groups. Today we see attempts to rewrite history, to justify the actions of criminals, who have the blood of hundreds of thousands of civilians on their hands,
said the Russian president.
Our people know only too well where this is leading. Each of our families treasures the memory of those who won the victory
”.
Vladimir Poutine denounces in certain European countries, what he considers to be complacency vis-à-vis those nostalgic for Nazi Germany.
The Russian president also castigates historical revisionism, which is said to be at work among Western countries, accused of downplaying the role played by the Soviet Union during World War II.
One way for the Russian president to celebrate the memory of this conflict with the population, while playing the card of
confrontation with the West
.
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Russia
Vladimir Poutine
Second World War