Russian President Vladmir Putin said on Sunday (9) that his country would firmly defend its geopolitical interests and that there was a return to the world of racist and “Russophobic” ideologies, in a speech on the occasion of the celebration of the 76th anniversary of the victory against the Nazis on the Monday war.
“Russia constantly defends international law. At the same time, we will firmly defend our national interests and guarantee the safety of our people,” Putin said, in front of hundreds of uniformed soldiers gathered in Red Square in Moscow.
The president said that the ideas born of Nazism have been updated and that there is a return to “racist rhetoric, national superiority, anti-Semitism and Russophobia”.
More than 12,000 men and 190 vehicles marched after the speech of the Head of State and a ceremony of officers and veterans in this traditional parade which marks the victory over the Nazis.
May 9 celebrations across Russia, with military parades through major cities, are a moment of patriotic communion dedicated to the nearly 20 million Soviets killed during the conflict.
According to the public research institute Vtsiom, for 69% of Russians, it is the main holiday of the year.
“For me and my family it is a holiday that celebrates a victory for the Russian people. We are proud, we remember and honor our loved ones and our brave soldiers,” said Yulia Goulevskikh, accountant, who participated in the parade. military. with her daughter in Vladivostok.
It was only after the fall of the Soviet Union that the grand military parade on May 9 in Red Square became an annual event.
In more than 20 years in power, Putin has put this date at the center of his policies, extolling the sacrifice of the Soviets and regularly accusing his Western opponents of historic anti-Russian “revisionism” for trying to downplay the role of the Soviet Union. in the defeat of Adolf Hitler.