Putin assures that "the West was preparing to invade our land"

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The "special military operation was necessary" because "the West was preparing to invade our land" and "NATO was creating a threat on our borders."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again repeated his ideology during his speech in Moscow's Red Square, where Victory Day is celebrated today, 77 years ago, over Nazi Germany.

"You are fighting for the security of Russia," Putin told the Russian soldiers, after lamenting the casualties suffered by the Russian army, "a tragedy for all of us."

The entire international community is now watching Putin's speech in Red Square, where the traditional

takes place .

The president is expected to extol Russia's strength to justify a Ukraine war that has dragged on longer than expected.

As large missiles parade through the Russian capital and planes soar through the sky, Ukraine is desperately struggling to contain an expected Russian military advance.

Ukrainian President

declared that Ukraine will not let Russia "take the victory over Nazism."

On the ground, Russian military forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to achieve their goal of establishing

and maintaining the land corridor between those territories and occupied Crimea.

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