Vladimir Putin warns that Russia’s strategic nuclear forces are “always on alert”

Vladimir Putin warned this Thursday during the celebration of the Soviet victory against the Nazis in 1945 that strategic nuclear forces are “always” on alert, amid tensions with the West due to the conflict in Ukraine.

The Russian president presided over the May 9 military parade on Red Square to commemorate Victory Day, in which more than 9,000 soldiers took part, according to Russian media, as well as armored vehicles, missile launchers and planes.

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“Russia will do everything possible to avoid a global confrontation, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic strengths [nucleares] “They are always on alert,” said the Russian president.

In another sign of deepening conflict with the West, Putin recently ordered tactical nuclear exercises involving troops stationed near Ukraine in response to Western “threats” directed at Russia.

On Thursday, Putin accused the West of wanting to “forget the lessons” of the Second World War and stated that Russia, which presents itself as a counterweight to Anglo-Saxon influence, rejects “the claim to exclusivity” of any government or alliance. .

He then reaffirmed that Russia, in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine, is going through a “difficult period”. “The fate of the homeland and its future depend on each of us,” he said, remembering the “heroes” who fought for Moscow at the front.

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Putin, 71, presents the attack on Ukraine as an existential conflict for his country in a fight against a Ukrainian government that he describes as “neo-Nazi”.

The head of the Kremlin has long mobilized the memory of the Second World War, in which 27 million people died on the Soviet side, to present himself as heir to the Soviet Union and legitimize his own power.

– Parades canceled –

The parade on Moscow’s Red Square was affected by the diplomatic and security consequences of the attack on Ukraine and Putinisolated on the international scene, he was only surrounded on Thursday by some heads of state from close allies.

Among them were the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, according to the Kremlin, which said those from Cuba and Laos were also invited.

Some parades were also canceled for “security” reasons, particularly in the Kursk regions, near the Ukrainian border, or in Pskov, near the Ukrainian border. Estonia.

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Russians’ daily lives have been disrupted by the conflict and Ukraine has increased attacks on Russian territory in recent months.

Border regions, such as Belgorod, are recurrent targets of attacks, responding, according to Kiev, to those from Russia in Ukraine.

Last year’s parade was much more modest than in previous years, with very little modern equipment and when Russian troops were massively mobilized at the front. Russia had then suffered a series of failures on the ground.

A year later, the situation is quite different: the Russian army has suffered significant losses and is unable to make a real advance, but has recently made territorial gains against the fighting Ukrainian troops.

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Kiev’s counteroffensive failed and it is Ukraine that now fears that its opponent, which has more men, equipment and ammunition and a more powerful military industry, will launch a full-scale operation next summer.

Fighting continues and two people were killed by Russian shelling in Nikopol, in southern Ukraine, local authorities announced this Thursday, while several were injured in the Russian region of Belgorod by Ukrainian attacks.

On the domestic front, power Vladimir Putin It is also more indisputable than ever. The repression crushed all dissenting voices and his great opponent, Alexei Navalni, died in prison in mid-February under circumstances that are still unclear.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.