Vita gazette – In Europe, while the day of the founding of the European Union was celebrated, established after the Second World War, in Russia the Second World War victory was celebrated, which brought peace to the world. Expressing that his country is surrounded by the US and NATO and poses a threat, President Putin said: “We have conducted an operation in Ukraine to protect our homeland. The horror of a global war should not be repeated”.

World War II is one of the greatest wars in history. The war began with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and ended in 1945. Tens of millions of people lost their lives in the war and millions more had to leave their homes. The Soviet Union was part of the alliance that defeated Nazi Germany in this war. But it was the country most affected by the war. Because most of the war took place in Russia.

The anniversary resumed the capitulation of the Third Reich in the late evening of 8 May 1945 (in Russia, for the time zone, it was already 9), after the Red Army had driven back the German troops (which had attacked the USSR in 1941) and conquered Berlin before the arrival of the Anglo-Americans.

The surrender of Nazi Germany put an end to what the Soviets called the Great Patriotic War (and which cost over 27 million lives): since then, the parade has been held on Red Square every year on May 9, although it has become a real party national only in 1965. As long as the USSR existed, Victory Day was celebrated throughout the eastern bloc, but following its collapse (1991) it went under the radar. From 2005, President Vladimir Putin will dust off the tradition of the parade, above all to rekindle domestic nationalism. Today, Victory Day (or Victory Day in Europe) is celebrated in several countries of the former Soviet bloc (including EU members Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Bulgaria) but also in Israel and, ironically, in Ukraine.

The celebration of May 9 was undoubtedly the most heartfelt in the Soviet Union, when in a large military parade in Moscow ocean-going crowds jubilantly greeted their soldiers who had freed Europe from Nazi fascism.

This year, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Hitler, after the opening of the ceremony in Moscow by the defence minister, the president delivered the traditional speech from Red Square.

Responsible is the USA and NATO

In his speech from a gallery overlooking Lenin’s Mausoleum, Putin directly blamed NATO and the United States and said: “Openly, another punitive operation was being prepared in the Donbas for the occupation of our historic lands, including the Crimea. In Kyiv, they announced the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons. They have increased the military infrastructure in the region day by day. The NATO bloc has started its active military development in the regions adjacent to us. NATO surrounded us. They are approaching our borders every day. The danger increased day by day. They represent an unacceptable threat on Russia’s borders. That is why the operation in Ukraine was “mandatory, timely and the only right decision,” he said.

Defending the homeland is sacred

In his speech Putin referred to the situation in Ukraine, comparing it to that of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, saying that: “the defence of the homeland is always sacred when deciding its fate. Victory Day is near and dear to each of us. “There is no family in Russia that has not been burned by the Great Patriotic War,”

Now we are fighting for the security of the homeland

Noting that they are now fighting for the security of Russia, Putin said: “The aggression in our historic Crimean lands was a threat to our borders, it had become unacceptable to us. The danger grew every day, ours was a preventive action, a necessary and right decision”. And then he called his armed forces, the Donbas militia: “You are fighting for the security of your homeland and of the future, Nazi criminals have no place in the world. The Donbas warriors and Russian troops are fighting on the land where our ancestors fought the Nazi enemy”.

The special military operation in Ukraine

Putin later said that “undoubtedly” what he called a “special military operation” in Ukraine would produce results.

The horror of a world war must not repeat itself

In his speech, Putin also claimed that his enemies have used terrorist gangs in this process and said they will do whatever it takes to protect their country. And, he warned, “the horror of a global war must not repeat itself”.