Russian President Vladimir Putin will issue a ‘doomsday’ warning to the West in response to the invasion of Ukraine

*Paromita Das

At Moscow’s World War II victory parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin will issue a “doomsday” warning to the West.

On Monday, Russia will commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany (May 9).

Although there will be fewer Russian tanks and other military hardware in Moscow’s Red Square on Monday as a result of Ukraine’s invasion, the patriotic fervor associated with the sacred holiday may be as strong as ever.

The Russian Defense Ministry said there will be a fly-past over St Basil’s Cathedral which will showcase the Il-80 “doomsday” command plane along with Tu-160 strategic bombers.
The Soviet Union lost a staggering 27 million people during World War II, which Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

“The attempt to appease the aggressor on the eve of the Great Patriotic War turned out to be a mistake that cost our people dearly,” Putin said.

“We will not repeat such an error; we have no right.”

The 69-year-old Kremlin leader has called Ukraine’s invasion a ”special military operation” to de-naify and demilitarizify and demilitarize the country, likening the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Adolf Hitler’s Nazis invaded in 1941.

Russia, on the other hand, has denied changing its operations to coincide with Victory Day, with Lavrov stating, “Our military is not going to artificially link its action to any date, including Victory Day.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, made the denazification claim.

Putin apologized after Israel slammed Lavrov’s remarks implying Adolf Hitler had Jewish ancestors.

“He’s (Putin) been rolling the pitch, laying the groundwork for being able to say, ‘Look, this is now a war against Nazis, and what I need is more people,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said last week on LBC Radio.