Vladimir Putin promised that on Tuesday, May 9 at « victoire » in the « guerre » in Ukraine, which he considers orchestrated by the West to destroy Russia, drawing a parallel with the Second World War by celebrating 78 years of the Nazi defeat.
But the powerful leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, engaged for months in the battle of Bakhmout, launched a long diatribe on Telegram to denounce the inability of the Russian authorities to defeat Ukraine, even accusing the military hierarchy to want ” deceive “ the Russian president.
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“A war has been launched against our homeland”
More than a year after launching his army to attack his neighbor whom he accuses of Nazism and after a series of bitter failures, Vladimir Putin is trying to present this conflict as wanted by Westerners.
“Civilization is again at a turning point. A war has been launched against our homeland”launched the Russian president from the emblematic Red Square in Moscow, in front of thousands of soldiers, the political elite and a handful of leaders of countries of the former USSR.
He hailed the Russian forces, especially the hundreds of thousands of reservists he has mobilised: “the future of our state, of our people depends on you”hammered the master of the Kremlin, again accusing Americans and Europeans of using Ukraine to achieve the “fall and destruction of our country”.
“For Russia, for our valiant armed forces, for victory, hooray! »he launched, before a parade of thousands of men and armored vehicles began under the spring sun.
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Russia will be defeated like Nazism, says Zelensky
This annual ceremony is supposed to exalt Russian power, while the victory of 1945 occupies a central place in the identity and nationalism carried by Vladimir Putin.
But this year, the commemorations come as the army is more than ever bogged down in its military campaign, after having suffered heavy losses, while a Ukrainian counter-offensive is being prepared.
On Monday, when the Western world marks the end of World War II, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised Russia defeat, ” the same “ than for the Nazis.
Breaking for good with the Soviet tradition of May 9, kyiv hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday for Europe Day.
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Tensions between the Wagner Group and the Russian army
On the ground, after 15 months of offensive, the Russian army appears weakened by the losses and the tensions between the staff and the paramilitaries of Wagner. She remains entangled in her fight for the city of Bakhmout, the epicenter of fighting in the east for months.
Wagner’s chief chose the highly symbolic date of May 9 to accuse the military hierarchy of« intrigue » and for failing to keep its promise to deliver ammunition, as well as regular army units to flee the battlefield in Bakhmout.
“The battle of Bakhmout is no longer anything but a symbol, everyone thinks only of the Ukrainian counter-offensive”
“Why can’t the state manage to defend the country? »he launched, saying that what is shown on Russian television does not reflect reality.
“If everything is done to deceive the Commander-in-Chief (Vladimir Putin), then either the Commander-in-Chief will rip your c… or it will be the Russian people who will be furious if the war is lost”he insisted in his usual flowery language.
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An imminent Ukrainian counter-offensive
The commemorations of May 9 are also taking place under reinforced protection due to the multiplication of attacks on Russian territory attributed to kyiv by Moscow. They occur when a major Ukrainian counter-offensive seems imminent and may even be underway.
The most spectacular attack, though it raised many questions, was an alleged strike by two drones on the Kremlin last week, which Moscow claims to have foiled while calling it an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine has denied any role in this operation, suggesting that it could be the initiative of a Russian rebel movement or a staging of power.
There were also strikes against Russian energy installations, sabotage of railways and multiple attempts or assassinations of personalities, such as the one which injured the nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin on Saturday.
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Several parades canceled in Russia
As a result, parades and demonstrations planned in several Russian cities and regions have been canceled, particularly in the border regions of Ukraine and in annexed Crimea, the authorities advancing a risk “terrorist”.
In Moscow, the traditional march of the “Regiment of Immortals” which brings together tens of thousands of Russians celebrating 1945 veterans in the streets of the capital has been canceled.
The master of the Kremlin has little good news from the front. His troops, who have been fighting since the summer for Bakhmout, of disputed strategic importance and largely destroyed, have still not conquered it in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.
War in Ukraine: why the word “victory” is political as well as military
Russian forces now control most of it, but this advance has been slow and at the cost of heavy casualties.
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At the same time, Moscow is continuing its bombing of Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 23 Russian cruise missiles out of 25 missiles launched overnight over the country.
The kyiv military administration said it shot down about 15 “enemy aerial targets” around the capital, without reporting any casualties or significant damage.
Warning sirens were also triggered in several Ukrainian regions.
