Putin Calls Ukraine War a Just Cause at Victory Day Parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at Victory Day celebrations in Red Square on Friday that Russian soldiers in Ukraine are fighting against "an aggressive force backed by all of NATO", once again framing the war as just and linking it to the Soviet Union's World War II legacy, the Moscow Times reports.

"The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today", Putin said.

This year's celebrations were marked by visible changes. The military parade was significantly curtailed for security reasons and, for the first time in nearly two decades, heavy military equipment did not appear.

Both Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to a three-day ceasefire over the holiday period following a call from US President Donald Trump.

The seating arrangement on the grandstand also drew attention. Sitting next to Putin was Leonid Ryzhov, a veteran of the fighting in Ukraine, which analysts interpreted as a symbolic link between the current war and the Kremlin's narrative of the Great Patriotic War.

(mja)