Russia launched cruise missiles at Kyiv on Tuesday and marched troops across Moscow’s Red Square for its annual commemoration of World War II triumph, which was scaled back due to personnel and weapon shortages at the front following a disastrous winter campaign in Ukraine.
Russia’s Victory Day Parade
Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated Victory Day to commemorate the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II, which he compared to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine to remove Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s allegedly Nazi regime.
The Parade across the Red Square witnessed a gun salute followed by a Russian national anthem, a significantly diminished show of military weaponry, and no aviation. Rather than phalanxes of contemporary combat tanks, a single T-34 from World War Two rumbled through Red Square.
Russia is capable of ensuring its security as "a real war has once again been unleashed against our motherland," Putin said during a Victory Day parade https://t.co/UAi71Xd5Ih pic.twitter.com/EQy7bfGtyv
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) May 9, 2023
Putin addressed veterans and troops gathered on Red Square for the annual Victory Day parade saying, “the decisive battles for the fate of our Motherland have always become patriotic, all-national, and sacred.” He declared, “A real war has been unleashed against our homeland.”
Putin praised Russian troops in Ukraine as heroes for defending the nation’s future from the West. Addressing those participating in what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation,” he stated, “Everyone is ready to assist, and we are praying for you.”
The Russian President declared at Red Square, alongside the leaders of various ex-Soviet countries, “We have repulsed international terrorism, we will protect the inhabitants of Donbas (in eastern Ukraine), we will ensure our security.” He emphasised how the conflict has estranged Russia from most of Europe while drawing Ukraine closer to the West.
Overnight Missile Attacks on Ukraine
On Tuesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry said that its armed forces launched missile attacks at areas around Ukraine overnight, obstructing Kyiv’s deliveries of munitions to the frontlines and troop movements. However, Ukrainian officials stated that its air defences shot down 23 of 25 Russian cruise missiles fired directly towards the capital Kyiv overnight, with no casualties reported.
In a recent wave of attacks, Ukraine claimed that its air defences destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones fired by Russia. According to the mayor of Kyiv, at least five people were injured in the city due to damage to a fuel station, cars, buildings, and infrastructure. Authorities stated that a missile set fire to a food warehouse in the Black Sea city of Odesa, injuring three persons.
Explosions rattled Kyiv as Russia made its fifth attack on the Ukrainian capital in nine days. The strikes occurred on Russia's Victory Day holiday, which commemorates the defeat of the Nazis in World War II. https://t.co/esk36KbnRM
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 9, 2023
The Ukrainian military recently claimed that 16 missiles hit Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa, in addition to 61 hits and 52 rocket salvos against Ukrainian positions and populated regions, adding that “Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, high-rise buildings, private homes and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.”
In a statement following the strikes, Zelensky claimed that Moscow had failed to conquer Bakhmut despite setting a deadline for itself to present Putin with a battlefield trophy in time for the holiday. Moscow envisions the conquest of Bakhmut as a first step towards seizing other cities in the industrial east of Ukraine.
On the same day as Putin’s Victory Day parade, Zelensky welcomed a significant guest to Kyiv — Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, who arrived with pledges of continuing European support for Ukraine.
US Announces Additional Security Assistance
US President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled an additional $1.2 billion security assistance package on the same day to reaffirm American support for Ukraine, including measures to strengthen its air defences and meet its artillery ammunition requirements.
The most recent security assistance package includes additional air defence systems and munitions, 155mm artillery rounds, and technology to link Western air defence launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defence systems.
According to a fact sheet released by the US State Department in May, the US has provided $35.7 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russia.