Putin at War in Ukraine Traps Russia in the Past
Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers parade through Red Square.
Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
President Vladimir Putin, addressing the annual May 9 military parade marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, sought to portray Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the continuation of World War II campaigns in defense of the Motherland.
His message was designed to rally support at home, where memory of the WWII victory is a source of pride. Yet the pomp and power on display in Moscow’s Red Square couldn’t disguise the reality that today it’s Ukrainians defending their homeland against unprovoked Russian attack, even as Putin tried to justify his actions as a “preemptive rebuff to aggression” from NATO.