The Russian leader has repeatedly accused Ukraine of harboring aggressive intentions, with support from the U.S. and its allies — claims Ukrainian and Western officials have denied.
In his speech at the parade, Putin again scolded the West for failing to heed Russian demands for security guarantees and a rollback to NATO’s expansion, arguing that it left Moscow no other choice but to launch an action in Ukraine.
The Russian leader emphasized that the Russian troops were fighting for the country’s security in Ukraine and called a minute of silence to honor the soldiers who fell in combat. Putin noted that some of the troops taking part in the parade previously have fought in Ukraine.
He said that the troops in Ukraine have been “fighting for the Motherland, so that no one will forget the lessons of World War II and there will be no place in the world for hangmen, executioners and the Nazis.”
The Victory Day that Russia marks on May 9 is the country's most important holiday, celebrated with military parades and fireworks across the county.
As part of celebrations later in the day, Putin also joined demonstrators who carried portraits of their relatives who fought in World War II in the so-called Immortal Regiment march, walking with a photo of his father who fought the Nazis in the siege of Leningrad.
The Soviet Union lost a staggering 27 million people in World War II, which it calls the Great Patriotic War. The conflict, which devastated the country and caused enormous suffering, has left a deep scar in the national psyche.
Some in Ukraine and the West expected Putin to use his speech at the parade to switch from describing the Russian action in Ukraine that the Russian officials have called the “special military operation” to calling it a war.
Putin didn't make any such shift in rhetoric or give any indication that the Kremlin may change its strategy and declare a broad mobilization to beef up the ranks.
The Kremlin has focused on Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas, where Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014. That conflict erupted weeks after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian military has rearmed and resupplied its forces withdrawn from areas near Kyiv and other regions in Ukraine's northeast and moved them to Donbas in an apparent attempt to encircle and destroy the most capable and seasoned Ukrainian troops concentrated there.
CaptionRussian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Navy school cadets march during the Victory Day military parade at the Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Credit: Dmitri Lovetsky
Caption Navy school cadets march during the Victory Day military parade at the Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Credit: Dmitri Lovetsky
Credit: Dmitri Lovetsky
Caption Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes to his soldiers as he is driven along Red Square in the Aurus Senat car during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes to his soldiers as he is driven along Red Square in the Aurus Senat car during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is driven along Red Square in the Aurus Senat car during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is driven along Red Square in the Aurus Senat car during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Ulan-Ude, the regional capital of Buryatia, a region near the Russia-Mongolia border, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Ulan-Ude, the regional capital of Buryatia, a region near the Russia-Mongolia border, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo)
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Caption Russian servicewomen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicewomen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption A security service officer aims his sniper rifle securing the area during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption A security service officer aims his sniper rifle securing the area during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian self-propelled artillery vehicles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian self-propelled artillery vehicles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian tanks roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian tanks roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian military vehicles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian military vehicles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missile rolls during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missile rolls during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian military vehicles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian military vehicles roll during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption A Russian serviceman stands in a military vehicle rolling during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption A Russian serviceman stands in a military vehicle rolling during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022, marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Anton Novoderezhkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Anton Novoderezhkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Anton Novoderezhkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Anton Novoderezhkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Anton Novoderezhkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after the military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Anton Novoderezhkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Credit: Anton Novoderezhkin
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, attends the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, attends the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Caption Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend the Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 9, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
Credit: Mikhail Metzel
