Putin uses Victory Day speech to denounce Nato and justify Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin has used Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow to defend the war in Ukraine and accuse Nato of backing what he called an aggressive force.
He made the remarks in Red Square during the annual ceremony marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.
Putin said Russian forces were carrying out the goals of the "special military operation" and described them as confronting an enemy "armed and supported by the whole bloc of Nato".
He also called Ukraine an "aggressive force".
The parade was scaled back, with no armoured vehicles or ballistic missiles on display for the first time in years.
Military personnel marched across Red Square under tightened security, while the event was attended by several foreign leaders including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The speech matters because it linked Russia's wartime messaging directly to one of the country's most important state ceremonies.
It also came as Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day ceasefire ahead of the celebrations.
Putin began by commemorating the sacrifices of Soviet soldiers in the Second World War.
