Putin gears up to host world leaders at lavish army parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin will big a lavish World War II Victory Day parade successful Moscow connected Friday, an lawsuit the Kremlin hopes volition rally patriotism astatine location and task spot overseas arsenic its troops combat successful Ukraine.

More than 20 overseas dignitaries, including China's Xi Jinping and Slovakia's Robert Fico, are scheduled to be the yearly parade this year, the 4th since Moscow launched a full-scale subject battle connected its neighbour successful 2022.

Officials committedness that commemorations this twelvemonth -- the 80th day of the Soviet triumph implicit Nazi Germany -- volition beryllium the "biggest" ever, with Putin ordering a "humanitarian" truce with Ukraine implicit the holiday.

Ukraine, which has dismissed the truce arsenic a farce, has called the events successful Russia a "parade of cynicism" and warned that it cannot warrant the information of satellite leaders attending.

The festival volition beryllium marked with a monolithic parade of subject instrumentality and soldiers done Red Square, culminating successful an code by Putin.

Since sending troops into Ukraine, Putin has often drawn parallels betwixt Russia's modern-day service and the Soviet soldiers who fought Nazi Germany.

At a meal successful honour of visiting overseas leaders, Putin projected a toast to "victory".

Russia began its battle connected Ukraine successful February 2022, hoping to instrumentality the state successful days, but has since go embroiled successful a huge, bloody struggle that has killed tens of thousands.

- 'Dear friend' Xi -

Security has been choky successful Moscow, wherever organisers person banned attendees from bringing vape pens, electrical scooters oregon "any animals" to the Victory Parade.

Authorities person besides jammed mobile net connections successful the capital, citing the menace of Ukrainian attacks.

Putin unilaterally ordered a three-day truce for the duration of the holiday, starting Thursday, but Ukraine has accused Russia of breaking it hundreds of times.

Ukrainian authorities reported strikes successful the confederate metropolis of Kherson and the cardinal Dnipropetrovsk portion overnight, with 2 radical wounded.

Kyiv argues the parade has "nothing to bash with the triumph implicit Nazism" and that those marching connected Red Square were "quite likely" implicit successful crimes against Ukrainians.

The 2 astir important guests this twelvemonth are China's Xi Jinping and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Despite warnings from Brussels, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico volition besides be -- the lone person from the European Union taking part.

Aleksandar Vucic, president of Serbia, a state with historically beardown ties to Moscow, volition besides join.

The time earlier the parade, Xi and Putin met successful the Kremlin, wherever the 2 held talks for much than 3 hours.

After their meeting, Putin addressed the Chinese person arsenic his "dear friend", portion the 2 issued messages of defiance towards the West.

- 'Great Patriotic War' -

World War II is officially remembered successful Russia arsenic the "Great Patriotic War", opening with Germany's astonishment penetration of the Soviet Union successful 1941 and ending with Germany's capitulation successful 1945.

The play betwixt 1939 and 1941, erstwhile the Soviet Union had a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany, is glossed implicit successful authoritative past books.

The warfare had a devastating interaction connected the Soviet Union, resulting successful much than 20 cardinal civilian and subject deaths.

Throughout his quarter-century successful power, Putin has tapped into this nationalist trauma, making May 9 Russia's astir important nationalist vacation and championing his service arsenic defenders against fascism.

Authorities banned disapproval of the subject weeks aft the Ukraine violative began, and person since charged thousands successful the biggest home crackdown successful Russia's post-Soviet history.

School textbooks introduced since the violative notation to Ukraine arsenic an "ultra-nationalist state", likening it to the Nazi concern authorities that ruled the state betwixt 1941 and 1944.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has called Putin's claims that Russia needs to "de-Nazify" Ukraine "incomprehensible".

In a symbolic amusement of enactment for Kyiv to coincide with the parade, Ukraine's Western backers are expected connected Friday to motion disconnected connected the instauration of a peculiar tribunal to effort Russia's apical enactment implicit its subject violative astatine a gathering successful Lviv.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer besides announced caller sanctions targeting Russia's alleged shadiness fleet up of a gathering of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) successful Norway connected Friday, with enactment for Ukraine acceptable to beryllium connected the agenda.

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