By Ruzeki, Shadow News
In a speech marking Russia's Victory Day on Monday, President Vladimir Putin sought to link his country's struggle against Nazi Germany in World War Two with his invasion of Ukraine and baselessly claimed the West had given him no choice.
Putin said the intervention in Ukraine was necessary as the West was creating "threats next to our borders" and "preparing for the invasion of our land."
He also said the West didn't want to hear Russia's proposals for dialogue.
"NATO countries did not want to hear us," Putin said, adding that that means "they had very different plans and we could see that."
"Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression -- it was a forced and sovereign decision," he said.
Putin told troops that "today you are defending what your grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought for."
He also addressed the soldiers of Donbas" who "together with Russian soldiers" are fighting for the "motherland." Donbas, a sprawling heartland region that blankets much of eastern Ukraine, has been the front line of Ukraine's conflict with Russia since 2014.
Fighting has intensified in the region in recent weeks as Putin refocused his war strategy following stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.
"I address the servicemen of Donbas," Putin said in the speech. "You are fighting for the motherland, for its future, so that lessons of World War Two are not forgotten," he said, adding, "there is no place in history for the punitive divisions of Nazis."
"We bow our heads in the memory of our comrades in arms who died in the just struggle for Russia," he said.
After those remarks, a moment of silence followed.
What you need to know:
● US First Lady Jill Biden made an unannounced trip on Sunday to Uzhhorod, Ukraine, where she met with Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska at a converted school, which is now used as temporary housing for displaced citizens.
● Ukraine has accused Russia of dropping a bomb on a school in Luhansk region where 90 people were taking shelter. It is feared that sixty people are dead.
● The Ukrainian government said that all women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 300 civilians have been rescued.
● US President Joe Biden will meet virtually with the Ukrainian President and his G7 counterparts during a meeting of the G7 forum on Sunday, deliberately scheduled ahead of Russia's Victory Day.
● Kyiv’s mayor is urging citizens to "be aware" and stay inside Sunday into Monday during the period surrounding Russia's annual Victory Day as Western officials warn Russian President Vladimir Putin could officially declare war on May 9, allowing him to step up his invasion campaign.
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