Vladimir Putin has publicly exhibited a collection of American and British tanks in Moscow, showcasing vehicles captured from the frontline in Ukraine with pride.
Among the showcased vehicles was a British Saxon armoured personnel carrier, reportedly provided to Ukraine in 2015, prominently displayed in the Russian capital under bold red banners proclaiming “Our victory is inevitable.”
This exhibition coincides with Moscow’s Red Square Victory Day Parade on May 9, commemorating Russia’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War Two. The display features an array of military hardware, including an American Bradley tank, a Swedish CV90, and a French-made AMX-10RC armoured fighting vehicle.
Last year on May 9, Putin delivered a passionate 10-minute speech at the Kremlin, denouncing “Western global elites” and asserting that civilization stood at “a decisive turning point.”
The holiday honoring the Soviet victory in World War Two holds profound significance in Russia, with Putin framing his country’s invasion of Ukraine as a continuation of the struggle against Nazi aggression.
However, Ukraine, which endured greater losses than Russia during World War Two, condemns this narrative as an exploitation of shared history to justify acts of aggression.
Meanwhile, Russia has suffered significant losses in the Ukraine conflict, with the number of tanks lost surpassing its total active service tanks before Putin initiated the invasion.
In response to the depletion of its tank resources, Russia has replenished frontline forces from strategic reserves while ramping up defense spending and transitioning its economy to a wartime footing, according to analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
In a separate development, militants targeted a police checkpoint in Russia’s North Caucasus region, resulting in the deaths of two officers. Four other officers sustained injuries, while all five assailants were killed during the confrontation in the Karachay-Cherkessia region late Sunday.
The Investigative Committee, Russia’s primary state criminal investigation agency, indicated that the same group had previously attacked another police checkpoint in the region a week earlier, resulting in the deaths of two officers and injuries to another. The affiliation and motive of the attackers were not disclosed.
