Putin To Troops: The West Was Planning To Invade Us

NBC News reports:

Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to justify his war in Ukraine on Monday, blaming the West and linking the conflict to World War II but not announcing any escalation despite fears from Kyiv and its allies.

In a speech at Moscow’s Victory Day parade to celebrate the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany, Putin framed the struggling military campaign as a continuation of that historic fight.

Addressing Russian troops, thousands of whom had gathered in Red Square for the annual display of military might, Putin told them they were “fighting for the motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the lessons of WWII.”

CNBC reports:

Speaking ahead of a massive parade of troops, tanks and military hardware in Moscow, Putin claimed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had been necessary because the West was “preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea,” according to comments translated by Reuters.

It’s unclear whether Putin was referring to Russia, or territory that Moscow considers to be Russian. This includes Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region, where Donetsk and Luhansk — two pro-Russian self-proclaimed “republics” — are located.

Putin provided no evidence for his claims, but used the speech to lambast NATO and Ukraine’s allies, and justify what Russia claims is a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

At Moscow’s Victory Day parade, President Putin seeks to justify his war in Ukraine but did not announce any escalation despite fears from Kyiv and its allies. https://t.co/aTRG17kYkC

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 9, 2022