Russia Victory Day

Speculation is mounting that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the celebrations to declare a further escalation in the conflict, abandoning the official ...

Authorities in Rome have banned picnics in northern parts of the city after a wild boar infestation there has led to concerns over the spread of African swine fever. John Deni, a professor at the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute, made the case for weakening Russia in Foreign Policy last week. The new sanctions come after a weekend in which Western leaders made more public shows of support. The Americas summit. While Putin’s intentions for Ukraine may become clearer today, those of his adversaries in the West are still murky. Members of the U.S. Congress have been even more explicit. Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos Jr. has been favored in polls heading into today’s contest, with some predicting a landslide victory. “We need to start moving beyond Javelins and anti-tank missiles and talk about a political endgame,” Charles Kupchan an international relations expert at Georgetown University, told Hirsh. Northern Ireland’s future. Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, looking at Russia’s Victory Day parade and Western strategy in Ukraine, the Philippines’ presidential election, and the world this week. Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, looking at Russia’s Victory Day parade and Western strategy in Ukraine, the Philippines’ presidential election, and the world this week. Speculation is mounting that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the celebrations to declare a further escalation in the conflict, abandoning the official line of a “special military operation” in favor of an outright declaration of war, with a full societal mobilization to go along with it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is marking Victory Day with a speech from a grand military parade in Moscow's Red Square as his war in Ukraine struggles.

The Kremlin said 11,000 people and 130 pieces of equipment took part in the parade. Prior to the event, the military had announced that the “Doomsday” plane equipped to take command in the event of a nuclear war, would be on display. “Today, I want to award those Ukrainian heroes who are already clearing our land of mines. “We will take our time to take steps towards a phase-out.” He did not elaborate. Trudeau patted his pockets as if he were looking for a dog treat. Stands filled with spectators also observed the spectacle. Progress in Ukraine has eluded Putin, with Russian forces devastating but far from defeating the country in a war that has ground on for more than two months. Nearly 25 million tonnes of grains are stuck in Ukraine and unable to leave the country due to infrastructure challenges and blocked Black Sea ports including Mariupol, a U.N. food agency official said last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia may have already stepped up its attacks ahead of the annual holiday, with at least 60 people feared dead after an airstrike on a school where people were sheltering in an eastern Ukraine village. “For a country heavily dependent on energy imports, it’s a very difficult decision. Prices eased slightly in April. We will win now.”

A military parade in Moscow saw thousands of troops assembled outside the Kremlin but the air portion of the event was canceled due to weather, according to ...

“Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be spared in times of war; these obligations under international humanitarian law are non-negotiable,” Awad said. The US embassy was shuttered in mid-February as concerns grew of Russian military action. The first lady is the latest high profile American to visit the war torn country in recent weeks. Ninety people were said to be sheltering in the school; 60 are feared dead. Trudeau also announced more military assistance for Ukraine, including drone cameras, satellite imagery, small arms, ammunition and funding for de-mining operations. Over the past month, the Russians have made modest gains in the area but have taken no settlement of any consequence. Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, said the school building was destroyed. Even so, it says, Russian forces remain "focused on the regrouping of units, replenishment of ammunition, fuel, [and] maintenance of previously occupied positions." “The unity of the G7 is essential at this time and based on the G7 leaders’ statement, we decided to take measures to embargo Russian oil in principle,” Kishida told reporters on Monday. He said it was a “tough decision” as Japan “relies on imports for the majority of its energy resources.” However, it is unclear when or in what jurisdiction a legal challenge could be made. US State Department announces visa restrictions against Russian and Belarusian military officials: The US State Department on Sunday announced visa restrictions on more than 2,000 Russian and Belarusian military officials for violations related to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and a new visa restriction policy targeting Russian officials for human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law and corruption in Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ukraine: In a joint news conference with Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the reopening of the Canadian embassy in the Ukrainian capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking from Moscow's Red Square at the start of a military pageant, did not use a Victory Day speech to announce plans ...

“I wanted to come in Mother’s Day,” Biden said before the start of a closed-door meeting between the two first ladies. The attack also destroyed an electrical substation, cutting power to nearby villages. It came as President Vladimir Putin’s forces intensified their push to consolidate territory here ahead of May 9, an annual holiday of pomp and circumstance in Russia known as Victory Day. Wallace is set to criticize Russia’s generals for lending credence to Putin’s fiction. And although it was partly cloudy and calm by Russian standards, the traditional aerial flyover was canceled because of bad weather, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Putin last week offered a rare apology to Israel after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made antisemitic comments connecting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Judaism, according to the Israeli prime minister. At the moment, it is not possible to access the platform.” Russian government websites and state-run media outlets have faced an “unprecedented” wave of hacking attacks since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Russian users of smart TV systems reported Monday that the services were hacked, with names of shows and channels replaced by a message: “The blood of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of murdered children is on your hands. The visa bans apply to 2,596 members of the Russian military and 13 Belarusian military officials. Fighting in the city is now concentrated at a steel plant, roughly five miles from the port that appears to be under full Russian control. Cities across Russia are joining the pageantry, with Vladivostok and Novosibirsk in the country’s far east among the first to hold parades of service personnel.

Dozens of people are dead after Russia bombed a school in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said.

Sixty people were likely to have died under the rubble of buildings." Luhansk is one of the two regions that make up the Donbas, where Russian troops are now concentrating their efforts. The largest parade is held in Moscow and is expected to be presided over by President Vladimir Putin. "We can count that Putin and imperialistic Russia will do everything bad they can possibly try to do. Dozens are feared dead after a school in the Luhansk region in east Ukraine was hit by Russian shelling. But what is remembrance for others today, for our people is, unfortunately, just news, every day." Luhansk is one of the two regions that make up the Donbas — in the east of Ukraine — where Russian troops are now concentrating their efforts. Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, said Sunday that at least two people had died after the bombing of a school. Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. said Sunday that the nation is making preparations ahead of Russia's Victory Day. In a recorded speech to Group of Seven leaders Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that while May 8 (Victory in Europe Day) "was a key day of remembrance for all the victims of World War II, for the fragility of peace and the inadmissibility of any anti-humanist regimes. He said Russia was imitating "precisely the evil that the Nazis brought to Europe." Russia is set to hold its massive "Victory Day" military parades on Monday, with 28 Russian cities set to hold military marches to mark the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

President justifies Ukraine invasion but reins in nuclear rhetoric as Zelensky accuses Russia of 'horrific crimes'

Russian paratroopers drive BTR-MDM armoured personnel carriers during a military parade on Victory Day in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9, ...

Referring to Victory Day, he said: "Russia has forgotten everything that was important to the victors of World War II. Evil has returned, in a different uniform, under different slogans, but for the same purpose." "We remain united in our resolve that President Putin must not win his war against Ukraine. We owe it to the memory of all those who fought for freedom in the Second World War," the G-7 said in a statement after the meeting, adding that Putin's actions "bring shame on Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people". While May 9 was initially inscribed in the country's annals as the day the Soviet Union overthrew the Nazi invaders in 1945, Russia's president has increasingly used this day to bolster his nationalistic ideologies of his country's role in liberating the world from Nazi Germany. The unconditional surrender of the Adolf Hitler-led Nazis came into force at 11.01pm on May 8, 1945, which was May 9 in Moscow. Hence Russia celebrates the victory a day later. But Europe and their US allies commemorate the anniversary of the Allied forces' win as Victory in Europe (VE) Day a day earlier. SINGAPORE - On Monday (May 9), Russia marked the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II with parades of its military armaments in Moscow's Red Square, including fighter jet flyovers in a "Z" formation - the letter that has become a symbol of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his accusation that the West left him no choice but to invade Ukraine in a speech given as Russia marks Victory ...

The US embassy was shuttered in mid-February as concerns grew of Russian military action. “Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be spared in times of war; these obligations under international humanitarian law are non-negotiable,” Awad said. The first lady is the latest high profile American to visit the war torn country in recent weeks. Ninety people were said to be sheltering in the school; 60 are feared dead. Over the past month, the Russians have made modest gains in the area but have taken no settlement of any consequence. The commemoration, which marks the end of World War Two, got underway when Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived to take his seat in the grandstand with top officials. Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, said the school building was destroyed. Trudeau also announced more military assistance for Ukraine, including drone cameras, satellite imagery, small arms, ammunition and funding for de-mining operations. Even so, it says, Russian forces remain "focused on the regrouping of units, replenishment of ammunition, fuel, [and] maintenance of previously occupied positions." However, it is unclear when or in what jurisdiction a legal challenge could be made. “The unity of the G7 is essential at this time and based on the G7 leaders’ statement, we decided to take measures to embargo Russian oil in principle,” Kishida told reporters on Monday. He said it was a “tough decision” as Japan “relies on imports for the majority of its energy resources.” "With the support of aircraft and artillery, the enemy focused its efforts on trying to take control of Rubizhne and prepare for the continuation of offensive operations in the direction of Lysychansk. The enemy increased firepower, trying to break through the defenses of our troops," he said.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday tried to defend Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in his annual "Victory Day" speech.

Putin did not use the speech to announce any escalation, however, although his anti-Western rhetoric was as staunch as ever. Zelenskyy, who is himself Jewish, released a video address Sunday which was filmed in front of semi-destroyed Ukrainian apartment blocks following Russian shelling. There was little evidence of military aggression from Ukraine toward Russia, but Moscow's claims to the contrary were seen by many as a pretext for justifying its attack. It was widely expected that Putin could use the speech to announce a victory in Ukraine or an all-out war on the country. "Russia will lose, because evil always loses," he said. "Defending the Motherland when its fate is being decided has always been sacred," he said.

Global leaders and defense officials had spent weeks speculating what Russian President Vladimir Putin might reveal about his Ukraine plans in a speech at ...

The possibility that Russia may win nothing, or very little, in Ukraine is real. All he can do now is to keep Russians on his side as they suffer the economic hardship of crippling sanctions and international isolationism. Even if that had been Putin's plan, he was unlikely to follow through

Expelled from the 2022 Victory Day Parade, the Russian Air Force appears both operationally and politically unreliable.

And with the fuel-hungry fighter set to represent more than a quarter of the Moscow’s parade aircraft, any supply shortage would have been difficult to mask. With rumors of intergovernmental tension, the abrupt absence of Russia’s Air Force—despite several successful practice-runs under far worse weather—is notable. Had the parade gone forward without the “doomsday” headliner, the aircraft’s absence would have been widely noted and widely discussed. Instead, the parade was set to celebrate Russia’s creaky fleet of Mikoyan Mig-29 fighter jets. A toxic combination of battlefield attrition, lack of pilot training, and poor maintenance practices—as well as increasing frustration from military leaders—likely forced Russia’s Air Force from the high-profile Red Square festivities. Putin’s message was a simple, acknowledging losses and that the “special military operation” is ongoing.

Speaking at an annual parade to honor the end of World War II, Russia's president sought to link the past Soviet victory to the battle in Ukraine and ...

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What was once a memorial to the 27 million Soviets who died is now a celebration of the Kremlin's perceived military power and strength. But with 11,000 Russian ...

While some in the West doubted them, he added, the Ukrainian forces have also shown that they are capable of using Western weapons. “With growing Western support, we have the advantage and Russia has nothing to respond” with, said Leonid Polyakov, a former Ukrainian deputy minister of defense who is now an adviser at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Ukrainian government think tank that provides counsel to the president. Mass graves are still being found in the Kyiv region, and many more and larger ones have also been identified in Mariupol, where the Russians enlisted locals to clean the streets of bodies, rubble and unexploded ordinance for another parade Monday. Germany increased its defense budget despite a long stance of pacifism after World War II. The U.S. has sent in howitzers and more military support than any other country after balking over sending Poland’s fighter jets. Now, with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stating that the United States is committed to seeing “Russia weakened,” Putin seems to have only empowered his perceived foes. What was once a memorial to the 27 million Soviets who died is now a celebration of the Kremlin’s perceived military power and strength. People across the world have seen the images of the mass grave dug in the shadows of Bucha’s gold-domed church. Though many Ukrainians shared that they have family connections to Russia, there appears to be little love left for their neighbor. These are just fragments of what I’ve witnessed after spending a month in Ukraine, the atrocities a result of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade this country. “Over the temporarily occupied cities and villages, our flag will fly again — finally again,” he said. KYIV, Ukraine — At the morgue in Bucha, black plastic body bags rustled as they were pulled back from the faces of the dead. In Lviv, I met women and children who had lived in a Kharkiv basement for six weeks.

Victory Day is Russia's biggest holiday, marking the end of World War Two. In a speech in Red Square, President Vladimir Putin used the occasion to justify ...

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Critics accused the Russian leader of turning history on its head in his speech, by comparing today's action in Ukraine to that of Soviet forces in ...

Putin claimed that Russian troops were fighting for the country’s security in Ukraine and observed a minute of silence to honour the troops who fell in combat. Larisa, a Moscow resident, at the Victory Day parade: "I teach at a community college and our boys support it... Despite regrouping in the east and continuing to attack the south, progress on the ground has been only incremental. Pro-Kremlin commentators have openly talked of nuclear strikes on the West as the war in Ukraine has progressed. Since the invasion of Ukraine in late February, Russian forces have devastated villages, towns and cities. The descendants of some of the victors. Now Putin's defeat is a matter of time!" In 2014 Russian-backed separatists seized parts of the east, and Russia annexed Crimea in the south. At 4 a.m. on February 24, 2022, under the signs of fascist evil spirits, Kyiv was again bombed. "I am now addressing our Armed Forces and the Donbas volunteers. The decision of a sovereign, strong, independent country." Russia called on the West to enter an honest dialogue, in search of reasonable compromise solutions, to take each other’s interests into account.

KYIV, Ukraine: Vladimir Putin exhorted Russians to battle in a defiant Victory Day speech on Monday (May 9), but was silent about plans for any escalation ...

No to war," the messages said. "What rhetoric Putin used in his speech is immaterial. A full declaration of war would let Putin activate reservists and send conscripts. "I didn't think this could ever happen to us," she said. Putin's war has killed thousands of civilians, sent millions fleeing and reduced cities to rubble. "On the Day of Victory over Nazism, we are fighting for a new victory.

Users of smart televisions and some digital platforms in Russia reported seeing an anti-Ukraine-war message on their screens.

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. “RUTUBE confirms that third parties were unable to access the video archive,” it said. “Specialists localized the incident, and work is currently underway to ensure security,” Rutube said. At the moment, it is not possible to access the platform.” The antiwar message that appeared on the screens of Russian smart TVs also appeared on the platforms of Yandex, Russia’s IT giant. “The blood of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of murdered children is on your hands,” read the message that took over their screens.