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☆ Putin says a 'real war' is being waged against Russia in Victory Day speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERSMOSCOW, May 9 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said a "real war" was again being waged against Russia as he invoked the Soviet Union's victory in World War Two to say the West was trying to destroy his country. In a speech on Red Square as part of Russia's Victory Day celebrations, Putin said Russia wanted to see a peaceful future, and said the entire country was behind what Russia calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine. Putin said the West had forgotten the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

May 9 (Reuters) - Russia launched about 15 cruise missiles at Ukraine's capital on Tuesday, the second attack in as many days, with air defence systems shooting all of them down, officials said, after air raid alerts blared over most of the country. "As at the front, the plans of the aggressor failed," Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv's city military administration, said in comments posted on the Telegram messaging app. Tuesday's attacks - the fifth in May - came a day after Russia launched its biggest drone swarm yet in a renewed air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March. "(They) try to kill as many civilians as possible - on this day," Popko said. Falling debris fell on a house in the Holosiivskyi district in the southwest of Kyiv, Kyiv's Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on his Telegram messaging channel, adding there were no casualties or much damage.

☆ Victory Day analysis: Putin tried to project strength, but Moscow parade revealed only his isolation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —For Russian President Vladimir Putin, this year’s Victory Day parade in Red Square was a chance to continue his war on history. It has become a pawn to their cruel and selfish plans.”Despite the pomp of the parade, Putin cuts an increasingly isolated figure. In Russia, Putin and his regime have destroyed these values. A lone Soviet-era T-34 tank leads the procession in Moscow in contrast to the large array of military hardware on display on previous Victory Day parades. “Victory Day is the victory of our grandfathers,” he said.

☆ North Korea's Kim says Russia 'will prevail' over hostile forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 9 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Russia "will prevail" in its fight against what he described as "imperialists," state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday, in remarks seen to be aimed at Ukraine and its Western supporters, such as the United States. North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last year, including its proclamation later of having annexed parts of Ukraine that most U.N. members condemned as illegal. "We send warm wishes to you, the Russian army and the people of Russia for their holy fight to preserve world peace," the agency quoted Kim as telling Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter. Kim also congratulated Putin on Tuesday's Victory Day anniversary that celebrates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, saying Russia would continue to protect its "autonomy" and the "stability of the region". Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Russia marks Victory Day with new attacks on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Ukraine as "the beating heart of today's European values" in a deeply symbolic visit to Kyiv on Tuesday as Russia marked its World War Two Victory Day. CONFLICT* Russia's defence ministry said its forces had launched missile strikes at targets across Ukraine overnight, disrupting Kyiv's supplies of ammunition to the frontline and troop movements. * Ukraine said its air defences shot down 23 of 25 missiles, fired chiefly at Kyiv, and there were no reported casualties. * Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin made a cryptic, profanity-laced comment about those in charge of Russia's war on Ukraine. INTERNATIONAL* Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing would maintain lines of communication with all parties to the war in Ukraine, including Germany, in seeking a ceasefire.

☆ Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says Russian troops are running away from the front lines and threatens to spill more details if Putin doesn't send ammunition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The boss of the Wagner Group said Russian troops fled from the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin made the claims in a scathing video posted on Tuesday. In a video published to Telegram on Tuesday, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin mocked the Russian troops as he detailed how they ran from their positions near the war-torn Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. "So today, one of the units of the Ministry of Defense fled from one of our flanks, abandoned their positions," Prigozhin said. Wagner Group fighters have played a key role in the battle that has been playing out in Bakhmut for months.

☆ Russia's Victory Day parade mocked for featuring only one tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Raphael Sanis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Vladimir Putin presided over a smaller-scale Victory Day celebration in Moscow compared to those in previous years. The country showed off only one tank, which was from the World War II era.

☆ On Muted War Holiday, Putin Tries to Justify Invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin on Tuesday used a scaled-down commemoration of triumph in World War II as a platform to denounce the West and make fictitious claims about Ukraine, equating his war of choice against that country with the Soviet Union’s fight for survival against Nazi Germany. With Russia struggling on the battlefield, the annual celebration of Victory Day, Russia’s most important and deeply emotional secular holiday, was far more muted than in the past. But Mr. Putin tried to seize on his nation’s proud memory of what it calls the Great Patriotic War to rally support for the war he launched against Ukraine last year, explicitly comparing the two. “A real war has been unleashed against our motherland again,” Mr. Putin said in a 10-minute speech in Moscow’s Red Square, whose themes were quickly repeated by state media. But his rhetoric has shifted from talk of a limited war — in his telling, one of self-defense — to drawing direct parallels to the colossal fight against Nazism.

☆ Just one old tank, and no aircraft, were present at Russia's much-reduced Victory Parade this year, reflecting its major losses in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Victory Day celebrations were scaled back this year. Russia's military has been degraded in Ukraine, and experts said it planned smaller celebrations to hide that. Tuesday's military parade in Moscow did not include an air display or any military jets over the capital city. Russia also cancelled its Moscow Victory Day aerial display last year, the first event since it launched its invasion of Ukraine. Russia needs a lot of its equipment in Ukraine that it would usually show off in the parades, the ISW noted.

☆ Putin accuses the West of creating Nazis while comparing the war in Ukraine to WWII, in what experts are calling a perversion of history
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He sought to portray the war in Ukraine as part of a plot to destroy Russia. Putin has sought to portray the war in Ukraine as a battle against Western powers who he claims are determined to destroy Russia. A real war has been unleashed against our Motherland," he said during a parade in Moscow on Tuesday. During the war, Russia was allied against fascist powers with Western powers including the UK and US. "They've even said that the West created Nazis," he added, calling it a "grotesque perversion of and distortion of history".

Russian service members rehearsing last week for the military parade in Moscow on Tuesday, when Russia celebrates the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. More recently, he has tried to wrap Ukraine into that narrative, falsely depicting it as a Nazi redoubt. The parade is likely to be subjected to closer scrutiny than usual, both inside Russia and beyond its borders. This year, the jets have skipped their usual practice runs over Moscow, raising questions about whether they will participate. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said the march was canceled as a “precautionary measure” against possible attacks.

Russian servicemen rehearse on Sunday for the Victory Day parade, when Moscow will aim to display its military prowess. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty ImagesSeveral Russian regions have cut back on Victory Day celebrations, due to insufficient military weapons available for display. World leaders such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan attended the military parade in previous years. ‘Evil has returned’Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday suggested moving Ukraine's Victory Day parade a day earlier so it does not align with Moscow's celebrations. Like Russia, Ukraine traditionally commemorates victory over the Nazis on May 9, but that date has become increasingly associated with a parade in Moscow.

☆ Ukraine's envoy to Japan urges G7 to condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations must condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons and vow "decisive action" against such a move when they hold a summit next week in the city of Hiroshima, Ukraine's envoy to Japan said. read more"It should be a very clear statement from specifically those nuclear powers among the G7 that the use of nuclear weapons or nuclear terrorism will not be tolerated and will be met with almost decisive actions from major powers," he said. "It's most important that the summit when we have a real threat of nuclear terrorism, that summit will be in Hiroshima," Korsunsky added. He called for G7 talks on nuclear security and the global architecture, as both the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council lacked power. Last week, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his government was examining how Russian assets could be used to help Ukraine's war effort.

☆ Putin's Victory Day parade only featured a handful of world leaders, and most seemed reluctant to be there, report claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin was joined by a small number of world leaders in Moscow for Victory Day. Their attendance certainly marked an improvement on last year, when no foreign leaders joined Putin in Moscow for Victory Day, which was held amid international condemnation of Russia's Ukraine invasion. "The late announcement of Central Asian leaders' attendance likely indicates their reticence to show direct and public support of the war despite Kremlin efforts to project power," said the ISW. Japarov was the only Central Asian leader to confirm his attendance well in advance, accepting his invitation on April 24, Vedmosti reported. Some of the Central Asian leaders who attended the Victory Day parade have been critical of Russia's invasion, and sought to steer a more independent path from Moscow while apparently seeking not to excessively aggravate the Kremlin.

☆ Head of Russia's Wagner group says still no sign of promised ammunition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Russia's mercenary Wagner forces have not yet received the ammunition promised by Moscow, the head of the group said on Tuesday, rowing back from comments hours earlier that initial data showed they had begun to get it. But Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose forces have spent months trying to capture the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, added that he did not want to "spoil" Russia's big Victory Day parade set for 0700 GMT, and would reveal more details afterwards. Late on Monday, he had said preliminary data showed his troops were beginning to get the ammunition, while cautioning they had not "seen it in practice". President Vladimir Putin will speak at the military parade in Red Square, one of Russia's most cherished public events, held to mark the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

More recently, he has tried to wrap Ukraine into that narrative, falsely depicting it as a Nazi redoubt. Image Smoke rising above a fuel depot in the Russian village of Volna, near the bridge linking Crimea to Russia, last Wednesday. In Russia, various regional governors have cited security concerns in canceling Victory Day events. “No neo-Nazi scum will be able to mar the great Victory Day. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said the march was canceled as a “precautionary measure” against possible attacks.

☆ Russia's irregular commanders, like the Wagner boss, are trying to force a top general's hand and risking throwing operations into chaos, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Irregular commanders, like Prigozhin, appear to be calling more of the shots in Ukraine, war experts say. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's founder, and his fighters have routinely criticized Russia's top military officials over their handling of Russia's faltering war in Ukraine. In threatening to do so, the two "likely effectively blackmailed" Russia's military command into giving resources to Wagner, the ISW said in a Monday assessment. Graves of Russian Wagner mercenary group fighters are seen in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar region, Russia, on January 22, 2023. Meanwhile, Prigozhin marked the occasion by feuding with Russia's military leadership, attacking their ability to defend the country.

☆ Bringing Ukraine closer to Europe, Zelenskiy marks 1945 Nazi surrender
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Further cementing Ukraine's break with its Soviet past, Zelenskiy said he had submitted a bill to parliament officially making May 8 a day of remembrance and victory, while May 9 - when Russia marks victory day - would become Europe Day. Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine sustained appalling loss of life in the war. Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, which was already May 9 in Moscow. Zelenskiy said Europe could not let that happen and it was again time to defeat "evil" together "to ensure that no one ever enslaves other peoples or destroys other countries again". Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Olena Harmash, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fearing Attacks and Perhaps Unrest, Russia Plans Muted Victory Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The war in Ukraine has prompted officials across Russia to scale back annual celebrations of Victory Day, the country’s most important national holiday, with more than 20 cities forgoing military parades and organizers calling off a popular nationwide march to honor veterans. Security concerns were most often cited for the rash of cancellations of Tuesday’s events, but some analysts suggested that the unease had as much to do with fears about domestic disturbances. It is an unprecedented step in a country where the parades, which commemorate the triumph of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II, have become a signature event for President Vladimir V. Putin. Over the years, he has cast the day not just as celebration of a historic victory but also of Russia’s present-day need to thwart the Western forces he says are still trying to destroy it. More recently, he has tried to wrap Ukraine into that narrative, falsely depicting it as a Nazi redoubt.

☆ Russia launches fresh wave of strikes on Ukrainian cities; Wagner boss ditches threat to leave Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russia launched a new wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities Kyiv, Odesa and Kherson, just one day ahead of Moscow's planned Victory Day celebrations on Tuesday, which feature a large military parade and commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The Victory Day parade has come to encapsulate Russian President Vladimir Putin's vision of his country, and is set to go ahead despite some concern over a recent alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin has backtracked on his threat to pull his fighters out of the war-torn city of Bakhmut after he announced that Russian military officials agreed to send his group ammunition he said was badly lacking. Wagner Group combatants have spearheaded Russian fighting in Bakhmut, which has become the scene of the war's longest and bloodiest battle.

☆ Assad in from the cold and Ukraine’s religious war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

But will the diplomatic victory for President Bashar al-Assad make any difference to Syrians reeling from years of conflict? Rural communities in Ukraine are divided as Kyiv cracks down on priests it says are loyal to Russia. And after the royal jubilation in Britain, anti-monarchists say the police crackdown on protests will only strengthen their cause. Plus a dire warning from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia to hold Victory Day parade amid tight security after drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Gareth Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Russian service members march in columns before a rehearsal for a military parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia May 7, 2023. Russia is also reeling from drone attacks, including one on the Kremlin on May 3 which it said was an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Putin has repeatedly likened the Ukraine war - which he casts as a battle against "Nazi"-inspired nationalists - to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Hitler invaded in 1941. Kyiv says this is absurd and accuses Russia of behaving like Nazi Germany by waging an unprovoked war of aggression and seizing Ukrainian territory. However, reflecting increased security concerns caused partly by the drone attacks, authorities have cancelled the traditional flyover.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Wave of attacks ahead of Russian holiday
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CONFLICT* Ukraine's top military command said its forces destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia had launched overnight at targets around the country. * Russia's Wagner mercenary group appeared to ditch plans to withdraw from Bakhmut, saying it had been promised more arms and suggesting it may keep up the assault on what Russia sees as a stepping stone in the Donbas region. * At least five people were wounded by Russian strikes on Kyiv, officials in the Ukrainian capital said. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERSEU WEIGHS SANCTIONS ON CHINA* The European Union has proposed sanctions on Chinese companies accused of selling equipment that could be used in weapons to support Russia's war machine, the Financial Times said. RECENT IN-DEPTH STORIES* ANALYSIS-Russia's mercenary boss deepens fog of Ukraine war while deflecting blame* INSIGHT-Ukraine's nuclear deal with Canada's Cameco carries big risks, rewards* ANALYSIS-Kremlin incident gives Putin cover to deepen war* COLUMN-Global ammunition race may decide Ukraine warEditing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

More recently, he has tried to wrap Ukraine into that narrative, falsely depicting it as a Nazi redoubt. Credit... ReutersUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, staked his nation’s own claim to the holiday, with an address on Monday drawing a parallel between World War II and the current war against Russian invaders. In Russia, various regional governors have cited security concerns in canceling Victory Day events. Igor Artamonov, the governor of the Lipetsk region, which is also near Ukraine, said his decision should not be misinterpreted. “No neo-Nazi scum will be able to mar the great Victory Day.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Wave of attacks ahead of Victory Day holiday
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Russia carried out drone, missile and air strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities through the night, escalating attacks in the run-up to its cherished Victory Day holiday that celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany. CONFLICT* Ukraine's top military command said its forces destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia had launched overnight at targets around the country. * Kyiv's mayor said at least five people were wounded in the capital amid damage to a fuel depot, cars, buildings and infrastructure. * Russia has intensified shelling of Bakhmut hoping to take it by Tuesday - Russia's Victory Day holiday, Ukraine's top general in charge of the defence of the besieged city said, vowing to do everything to prevent it. EU WEIGHS SANCTIONS ON CHINA* The European Union has proposed sanctions on Chinese firms accused of selling equipment that could be used in weapons to support Russia's war machine, the Financial Times said.

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