Putin's message
In a speech at the ceremony in Red Square, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed: "Russia will do everything to avoid conflicts with world powers and will not be intimidated by anyone," according to Reuters. He emphasized that Russia's strategic nuclear forces are always in a state of combat readiness. The leader said that Russia has never underestimated the contributions of the Allied forces in World War II. He said that Russia is going through a difficult period and the future of the country depends on the Russian people.
President Putin speaks at the ceremony on May 9
Sputnik news agency reported that the parade on Red Square involved more than 9,000 servicemen and 75 units of weapons. Public attention was focused on the weapons that Russia displayed, including the S-400 air defense missile system, the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system, the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile, and various armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. Similar to last year, a T-34 was the only tank participating in yesterday's parade.
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Observers say the absence of main battle tanks at the ceremony is because Russia is focusing its tank resources on the Ukrainian battlefield, which has suffered significant losses after more than two years of war. This year, there was also a performance by the Russian Air Force's aerobatic team, with a combination of Su-30 and MiG-29 fighter jets.
Yars ballistic missile system during the parade
And the big air strike
A day before the event, the Russian military launched attacks on Ukraine, according to Reuters, the largest air strikes in weeks. Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukrainian energy facilities.
According to Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, at least three of its thermal power plants were severely damaged overnight, along with two hydroelectric plants. The attack prompted Ukrainian authorities to warn of nationwide power cuts. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal estimated that more than 800 heating systems were damaged, losing at least 8 gigawatts of electricity, and that the government would need $1 billion to repair them.
The Russian Defense Ministry's Telegram channel reported that the military fired high-precision missiles, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, at Ukraine's energy infrastructure and military-industrial complexes.
Kyiv also responded with a UAV attack on an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region (Russia), causing damage to several oil tanks, according to information from the region's officials on May 9.
Aircraft formation in the colors of the Russian flag
In another development, tensions between Russia and the West continued to escalate after Britain expelled the Russian defense attaché, identified by London as Colonel Maxim Elovik. The British Home Office accused Mr. Elovik of being an "undeclared intelligence agent" for the Kremlin. Britain also closed a number of Russian diplomatic facilities and restricted the validity of diplomatic visas. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Britain for using "blatant lies" to justify the decision to expel the Russian defense attaché. She warned: "Any unfriendly actions will be met with an appropriate response. Russia's response will be firm and measured."
Armored vehicle formation at Red Square on May 9
Russia withdraws forces from Armenia
Interfax news agency reported on May 9 that President Putin has agreed to withdraw Russian troops and border guards from several areas in Armenia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reached the agreement after talks in Moscow on May 8.
"In the fall of 2020, at the request of the Armenian side, our army and border guards were deployed to some regions of Armenia. Pashinyan said that now due to changed conditions there is no need for them and President Putin agreed to withdraw the troops," Peskov said. However, Russian border guards will remain on Armenia's borders with Türkiye and Iran, at the request of Yerevan.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-duyet-binh-ngay-chien-thang-185240509192620543.htm
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