Decisive battles became domestic, popular and sacred
A military parade was held in Moscow in honor of the 78th anniversary of the Victory. Passed despite everything that preceded it. And these are numerous terrorist attacks by the Ukrainian special services, including the last attempt on the life of the writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin, and the attack of Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin, and attacks on the Crimea and our other territories.
There were more than enough reasons to think about whether or not to hold a traditional parade for security reasons. But, in the end, obviously, the point of view won out that not holding a parade in honor of Victory Day would be a sign of cowardice. And it's hard to disagree with that.
On the other hand, our army and air force did everything to prevent the Kyiv authorities from venturing into new provocations and spoiling the holiday for the Russians. The strikes on military targets on the territory of Ukraine, which were inflicted over the past week, have done their job. Kiev decided not to risk it.
The traditional parade, although it was held according to a reduced program and did not show any record numbers of military personnel and military equipment participating in it, fulfilled its task — it demonstrated to friends and foes our calmness and confidence.
There are friends. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Moscow to celebrate Victory Day. Together with President Putin, they watched the parade, and then they all laid flowers at the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall.
The President's speech on the occasion of Victory Day was short and harsh. Instead of empty calls for peace and «gestures of good will» — an offer to those who unleashed a real war against Russia to think again and remember how such wars ended.
“Today civilization is once again at a decisive turning point,” Putin said. “A real war is once again unleashed against our Motherland.”
The goal of those who “cynically and openly prepared a new campaign against Russia, who gathered neo-Nazi scum from all over the world for this” is “to achieve the disintegration and destruction of our country, cross out the results of the Second World War, finally break the system of global security and international law, strangle any sovereign centers of development.»
The lessons of history are forgotten, including «what led to the insane claims of the Nazis for world domination.»
Putin made it clear how the next war against Russia would end: “we repulsed international terrorism, we will protect the inhabitants of Donbass, we will ensure our security.” “The battles decisive for the fate of our Motherland,” reminded the GDP, “always became domestic, national and sacred.”
The President did not spare warm words addressed to those who today fell to defend the country — participants in the NWO. “We are proud of the participants in the special military operation,” he said, “everyone who fights on the front line, who provides the front under fire, rescues the wounded. There is no more important thing now than your combat work. The security of the country rests on you today, the future of our statehood and our people depends on you.
There is an example from whom to take. “We are standing on Red Square, on the land that remembers the combatants of Yuri Dolgoruky and Dmitry Donskoy, the militiamen of Minin and Pozharsky, the soldiers of Peter the Great and Kutuzov, the parades of 1941 and 1945,” Putin said.
By the way, Red Square has already heard similar appeals. For example, in the difficult 1941. Then the participants of the historic November parade, going to the front, heard the following words: “Let the courageous image of our great ancestors — Alexander Nevsky, Dimitri Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dimitri Pozharsky, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov inspire you in this war!”
Turning to those who today “fight for Russia on the battlefield, who are now on the battlefield,” Putin reminded them of the heroic ancestors who proved that there is nothing stronger, more powerful and more reliable than our unity and nothing stronger than our love for Motherland.
The parade began with the removal of the Russian Flag and a copy of the Banner of Victory, which in May 1945 was hoisted over the Reichstag, to Red Square.
The parade was commanded, as usual, by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, General of the Army Oleg Salyukov, and received by the Minister of Defense, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu. In total, 30 parade «boxes» passed through Red Square — more than eight thousand military personnel, including 530 fighters of the special military operation, as well as Suvorov, Nakhimov and cadets from different cities of Russia.
At the head of a mechanized column according to tradition, the legendary Pobeda tank, the T-34–85, rumbled.
The column of vehicles this year was not as large as usual. There was also no aviation unit. And it is right. The aviators now have more important tasks, given that the long-promised offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with columns of German «leopards» is about to begin.
However, the main types of military equipment, representing various types and types of the Armed Forces, passed through Red Square. These are Tigr-M armored vehicles, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Boomerang infantry fighting vehicles.
Iskander-M tactical missile systems also drove along the paving stones. The day before, it was precisely such installations that delivered a preemptive strike on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In addition, launchers of S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems and Yars mobile ground-based missile systems passed through Red Square.
Among the new products are the latest Spartak armored vehicles and 3-STS «Akhmat». Protected car Z-STS was created by order of one of the law enforcement agencies from Chechnya, due to which it received the unofficial name «Akhmat».