By Deutsche Welle
09 May 2024, 09:26 AM EDT
Vladimir Putin warned this Thursday (05/09/2024) during the commemoration of the Soviet victory over the Nazis in 1945 that Russian strategic nuclear forces are constantly in a state of combat readinessamid tensions with the West over its invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian president presided over the military parade on May 9 in Red Square to commemorate Victory Day, in which more than 9,000 soldiers participated, according to Russian media, as well as armored vehicles, missile launchers and planes.
“Russia will do everything possible to avoid a global confrontation, but We will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic (nuclear) forces are always on alert“he assured.
In another sign of the deepening rift with the West, Putin recently ordered tactical nuclear exercises involving troops stationed near Ukraine, in response to Western “threats” directed at Russia.
On Thursday, the Kremlin leader accused the West of wanting to “forget the lessons of World War II” and stated that Russia, which presents itself as a counterweight to Anglo-Saxon influence, rejects “the pretension of exclusivity” of any government or alliance.
The head of the Kremlin has long mobilized the memory of the Second World War, in which 27 million people died on the Soviet side, to present himself as heir to the Soviet Union and legitimize his own power.
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