In his Victory Day speech, an annual event that celebrates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany during World War II, Russian president Vladimir Putin defended his country’s decision to invade Ukraine, and falsely described his actions as “an extension of the struggle against Nazism throughout Europe.”
Western and Ukrainian officials had assumed earlier that Putin would use the 9th of May ceremony to declare Russia officially in a war state and expand military conscription.
In his Monday speech on Moscow’s Red Square, Putin did not call for any new sacrifices or mobilization. He also did not threaten a nuclear attack, nor did he make any bold statements about an existential conflict with the West. Putin did not attempt to prepare the Russian people for a larger conflict. He promised instead that the military will continue to fight in order to “liberate Ukraine” from “torturers and Nazis.”
The parade’s choreography was traditional. Troops and vehicles marched through Red Square, as they had done in previous years. They did not display the “Z” symbol, which has come to symbolize support for the Ukraine War. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that the traditional aerial flyover for the Victory Day Parade was cancelled “due the bad weather”. The ceremony was to include 77 aircraft, including eight MiG-29 jet fighters that were to form a letter “Z” above Red Square.
In a video released Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, rejected Putin’s claim that purging Nazism was a way to justify the invasion. He said it was the Russian leader “repeating today the horrific crimes committed by Hitler’s regime.”
Zelensky stated, “On the day we won over Nazism, our fight is for a new triumph.”
On May 9, Putin did not call for new sacrifices or mobilization. He also did not threaten a nuclear attack, nor did he make a stark declaration about an existential conflict with the West.
Both leaders’ speeches indicate that the end of war is still far away. Currently, Ukrainian forces, armed by heavy weapons supplied from the West, are battling Russian forces along a 300 mile front in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine. After weeks of intense fighting, Russia has only made sporadic progress.
The Ukrainian military reported that the Russian army deployed 19 battalion-sized tactical groups, each with up to 1,000 troops, in the Russian border town Belgorod to prepare for an assault in order to slow down a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv, and to break through Ukrainian defense lines elsewhere in the area.
Biden Signs Lend-Lease Act in Ukraine
Joe Biden, the US president, signed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act in parallel with the celebrations of May 9 in Russia.
The signing ceremony took place at the White House.
Biden’s signature of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act 2022 will make the US easier to lend or lease military assistance to allies who are affected by the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
Under the measure, Ukraine may request streamlined transfers for US weapons and security assistance. The US will receive guarantees that Ukraine will replace or refund the assets at a future date.
During World War II, the Lend-Lease Program was used.
Zelensky called the act signed by the US to aid Ukraine a historic move.
“I am grateful for the support that US President Biden and American people have given to Ukraine in its fight for freedom and for our future. The signing of Land-Lease Act represents a significant step in history. I am confident that we will win again together and defend democracy in Ukraine, and Europe as we did back 77 years ago,” Zelensky said.
The US House of Representatives approves an additional $40 Billion for Ukraine
The US House of Representatives approved more than 40 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine.
Reuters reported that Biden requested Congress to approve $33 billion more in aid for Ukraine. However, a decision by lawmakers increased military and humanitarian funding.
The bill was supported 368 members in the House with 57 voting against it.
Rosa DeLauro, Democratic Representative, said: “This bill will protect democracy and limit Russian aggression while strengthening our own national security and, most importantly, support Ukraine.”
Ukrainian soldiers wounded in Azovstal Steel Plant Mariupol call for help
The Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol continues to be attacked and shelled. The troops are holed up in the plant, denying Russia control of the Ukrainian port. However, their situation is dire, as they are left with open wounds and in unsanitary conditions.
An Azov regiment intelligence officer who was holed up in Azovstal on Sunday spoke in an online conference and said that surrendering “would be suicide.”
Illia samoilenko, in describing their grim and ultimately hopeless circumstances, also expressed his bitterness towards the Ukrainian government. He said that the Ukrainian government had failed to defend southern Ukraine where Russia had made faster progress than in northern Ukraine and had left Mariupol’s Garrison to its fate.
“Surrendering is not an option, because Russia isn’t interested in our lives,” Samoilenko said. He argued that Moscow couldn’t allow them to survive because of the war crime they had witnessed. “We are dead men here. We all know this, and that’s why most of us fight so fearlessly.
After the Zoom briefing, Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podelyak said that “every presidential discussion with foreign leaders and organizations begins and ends with Azovstal.”
Zelensky: I expect to hear from the EU in June about our country’s candidacy for EU membership.
Mariupol has been a hotly contested city, in part, because it is crucial to Russia’s ability both to rebuild the eastern Donbas region, which they are now fighting to secure, as well as to establish a land route between the Russian mainland, which was annexed by Ukraine in 2014, and Crimea.
All the women and kids who had been huddled together in bunkers on the site for several weeks have now been evacuated.
British intelligence: Withdrawal by Russian forces from Kharkiv is a silent admission of their inability to take key Ukrainian cities
The UK Defense Department announced this week that Russia is withdrawing its troops from Kharkiv to replenish their forces following a reorganization of the military and heavy losses.
“Ukrainian Forces continue their counterattack north from Kharkiv and retake several towns and villages on the Russian border.” The Russian Federation’s priority for Donbas has left its units in the Kharkiv area vulnerable to highly motivated and mobile counterattack groups in Ukraine,” said the statement.
The statement stated that “the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kharkiv Region is a tacit acknowledgement that they can’t take key cities in Ukraine.”
Zelensky is expecting a positive response in June to the EU candidate status
In a video message posted on Facebook on May 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine could obtain EU candidate status by June.
The Ukrainian leader stated that Ukraine had submitted on May 9 the second part of a completed questionnaire required for Ukraine to become a candidate member, a process that normally takes several months.
“We have done all we can in a few weeks… I expect to hear from you positively regarding the status of our country as a candidate for EU membership,” said the President.
Zelensky submitted a request for Ukraine’s membership in the EU on February 28. He said that, after the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine would apply to the EU under a special procedure for immediate accession.
On March 21, the European Commission announced that it had begun working on a conclusion regarding Ukraine’s possible membership in the EU. According to Zelensky this will be ready within a few month and will act as recommendation for the EU Council.
By Ana Dumbadze
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