Putin says Russian army fighting 'aggressive' Nato-backed force in Victory Parade address

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that his soldiers in Ukraine were fighting an “aggressive force” backed by all of Nato and described his war goals as “just”, in a combative address to the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square.

Putin has made the memory of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II a central narrative of his 25-year rule, and authorities typically mark the parade with pomp and grandeur.

But a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks in recent weeks prompted the Kremlin to ramp up security measures and downsize this year’s celebrations.

The parade was vastly scaled back compared to previous years, with no military hardware on display for the first time in nearly two decades and only a handful of foreign dignitaries in attendance — most of them leaders of Russia’s close allies.

Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire over the event, following a last-minute appeal from United States President Donald Trump. Moscow had threatened a “massive” strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the proceedings.

In an address to the parade, attended by Russian military units as well as soldiers from North Korea, Putin invoked the Soviet victory to rally support for his army in Ukraine.

“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” Putin said.

“They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire Nato bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward,” he said.

“I firmly believe that our cause is just,” he added later.

The parade kicked off shortly after 10am Moscow time (12pm PKT) with a formation of soldiers carrying the Russian flag into the square, state television showed.

Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov could be seen congratulating soldiers, including some from the North Korean army.

Security was tight in the capital before the parade, with AFP reporters seeing empty streets. Mobile internet was also disrupted.

Three-day ceasefire

After two failed attempts at truces this week by both Russia and Ukraine, Trump announced on Friday that a three-day ceasefire between both sides would come into effect from May 9.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network, adding the ceasefire would be accompanied by a prisoner exchange.

Zelensky issued a decree on Friday ordering the Ukrainian military not to attack the parade and in a separate statement confirmed his government would adhere to the ceasefire to enable the swap of 1,000 detainees from each warring side.

“Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home,” Zelensky said, referring to the historic site in the Russian capital where the annual event is held.

Both the Ukrainian air force and the Russian defence ministry reported fewer drone attacks overnight.

Now in its fifth year, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and spiralled into Europe’s deadliest since World War II. US-mediated talks on ending the fighting have shown little progress since February, when Washington shifted focus to its war against Iran.

Before Trump’s announcement on Friday, Zelensky had baulked at the idea of a truce over the parade and warned Moscow’s allies against attending.

Russia had threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the victory commemoration and urged foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital ahead of the event.

Only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia and Laos, as well as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, were set to attend, in contrast to high-profile visitors including China’s Xi Jinping during last year’s event.

Zelensky expressed hope on Friday that US envoys would visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to reboot talks on ending the war after Ukraine’s lead negotiator met with US representatives in Florida this week.

​President Zardari felicitates Russian leadership

Separately, President Asif Ali Zardari extended felicitations to Putin and the Russian people on Victory Day.

​In a message, conveyed on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, President Zardari noted that victory in the “Great Patriotic War remains a solemn and enduring reminder of the immense sacrifices made by the Russian people in the defence of their homeland and in the global struggle against fascism”.

“He remarked that this historic triumph stands as a symbol of the resilience, courage and determination of the Russian nation as well as its enduring contribution to international peace, security and stability,” read a statement by the Presidency.

​President Zardari stated Pakistan greatly valued its relations with Russia and “attaches importance to a shared commitment to a just, peaceful and rules-based international order”.

He also paid tribute to the memory of all those who laid down their lives in the “fight against Nazism, including the soldiers from the region of the Indus Valley who served as part of the Allied forces”.

“The president expressed hope that the spirit of that historic victory would continue to inspire greater cooperation, mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries,” the statement added.

Ukraine’s drone attacks before truce

The Ukrainian military, which has bolstered its drone capabilities, has intensified its strikes in recent weeks, hitting targets hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine.

Both sides continued to trade attacks on Friday, before Trump’s announcement.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 67 drones overnight — the lowest number in almost a month.

“Despite the declared ceasefire, the enemy has not reduced the intensity of assault operations,” Zelensky had said, adding that Ukraine was reacting in kind.

Russia said it had downed more than 400 Ukrainian drones — 100 of them targeting Moscow — since midnight, and that its troops were “responding symmetrically”.

Kyiv said it had hit two refineries in Russia’s Yaroslavl and Perm regions.

Some 13 airports in southern Russia were closed on Friday after a Ukrainian drone hit an air navigation centre in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Moscow’s transport ministry said. It later said that flights had been partially restored.