Putin Delivers Speech at Red Square Military Parade While Ukrainian President Issues Satirical Response

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a brief speech at Moscow's Red Square military parade, attempting to draw connections between the "Great Patriotic War" and Russia's current military action against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded provocatively to the parade, sarcastically stating he "authorizes the military parade in Moscow." Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was noted as not having listened to Putin's speech. The annual Victory Day parade commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, which Russians refer to as the Great Patriotic War. Putin's speech represents part of the Kremlin's ongoing effort to frame its invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, as a continuation of the fight against fascism that defined the 1941-1945 conflict.