Russia presses offensive against Ukraine as Vladimir Putin marks V-Day

Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine), May 9

Russian President Vladimir Putin used a major patriotic holiday Monday to again justify his war in Ukraine, but did not declare even a limited victory or signal where the conflict was headed, as his forces pressed their offensive with few signs of significant progress.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square, with troops marching in formation, military hardware on display, and a brass band blaring to mark the Soviet Union’s role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

But his much-anticipated speech offered no new insights into how he intended to salvage the grinding war — and instead stuck to allegations that Ukraine posed a threat to Russia, even though Moscow’s nuclear-armed forces are far superior in numbers and firepower.

He steered clear of battlefield specifics — failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the strategically vital port of Mariupol or even uttering the word “Ukraine”. Putin has long bristled about NATO’s gradual creep eastward, including into former Soviet republics, and sought to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine before an “inevitable” clash. As Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. — AP

Paint thrown on Russian envoy to Poland

Warsaw: Protesters threw red paint on Russian envoy Sergey Andreev on Monday as he arrived at a cemetery in Warsaw to pay respects to Red Army soldiers, who died during World War II. Andreev arrived at the Soviet soldiers’ cemetery to lay flowers, where a group of activists opposed to Russia’s war in Ukraine were waiting for him. AP

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