As the Ukraine war rages, Putin insists Russia is defending its “Motherland”

As Moscow showcased its military strength during a massive parade commemorating the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945, President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s war in Ukraine as vital to safeguard the “Motherland.”

While Putin delivered his Victory Day speech, fierce conflicts raged in eastern Ukraine, and intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled through Moscow’s iconic Red Square.

Protesters in Warsaw threw blood-red paint on the Russian envoy, chanted “fascists!” and hoisted a Ukrainian flag as he visited a cemetery, accusing Putin of manipulating the World War II anniversary.

Putin, on the other hand, tried to use Russian pride to promote a “special military operation” to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, which is led by an elected Jewish president.

Putin blamed the conflict on the West and Ukraine, telling the parade that Russia was facing a “totally terrible threat” and warned against the “horror of a global war.”

“You are fighting for the Motherland’s future, so that the lessons of WWII are never forgotten,” he stated.