New Delhi: Russia President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the West of instigating a global conflict and warned against bullying the world’s biggest nuclear power Russia. His comments came during the commemoration of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
He criticized Western elites for disregarding the key role played by the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany and stoking conflicts across the world.
“We know what the exorbitance of such ambitions leads to. Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash,” Putin said on Red Square. “But at the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness”, he added.
In 2022, Putin sent his army into Ukraine and justified it as part of a border struggle with the West. He claims that the West humiliated Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence. However, Ukraine and the West view Putin’s actions as an attempt to grab land in an imperialistic style. They have vowed to defeat Russia, which currently controls about 18% of Ukraine, including Crimea, and parts of four regions in eastern Ukraine. Russia argues that these lands, which were once part of the Russian empire, are now again part of Russia.
During World War Two, the Soviet Union lost 27 million people, including many millions in Ukraine. However, they eventually pushed the Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Hitler committed suicide. In 1945, the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag, signifying the Soviet Union’s victory.
On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally. This day is celebrated as “Victory in Europe Day” by France, Britain, and the United States. However, in Moscow, it was already May 9th, which marked the Soviet Union’s “Victory Day” in what Russians refer to as the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.
