Putin vows Russia will win against NATO-backed aggression at Victory Day parade

President Vladimir Putin says Russian soldiers are confronting “an aggressive force” armed and supported by the entire NATO alliance in the country’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Delivering a speech at a Victory Day parade commemorating the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II on Saturday, Putin said the Soviet people made a decisive contribution to the defeat of Nazism and saved their country and the entire world.

Addressing troops and foreign dignitaries in Red Square, he said the “generation of victors inspires the soldiers who carry out special military operation tasks today.”

The president said Russian soldiers involved in the military operation in Ukraine are continuing the mission of the generation that defeated fascism.

“Victory has always been and will be ours,” he added.

Putin also highlighted advances in Russia’s defense industry, saying scientists and engineers are developing new weapons systems while expanding military production based on combat experience gained in Ukraine.

This year’s Victory Day parade was held under heightened security amid threats of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Several foreign leaders attended the event, including the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

Members of the North Korean military also took part in the parade.

Military personnel involved in Russia’s operation in Ukraine, cadets from military academies, and servicemen from different branches of the Armed Forces participated as well.

Ahead of the celebrations, Moscow proposed a two-day ceasefire for May 8-9 and warned Kiev against attempts to disrupt the commemorations.

Ukraine also announced it would observe a unilateral ceasefire beginning at midnight Tuesday.

However, both sides later accused each other of violating the ceasefires announced separately by Moscow and Kiev.

US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to the ceasefire and a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange.

He described the development as a possible “beginning of the end” of the war, now in its fifth year.

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