Russian President Vladimir Putin will send a chilling “ doomsday ” warning to the west when he leads his country’s May 9 ‘Victory Day’ parades brandishing Russia’s vast firepower while its forces fight on in Ukraine.
The celebrations, which mark the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazy Germany, could be used to try and reignite the country’s stuttering invasion.
The parade will see Putin speak on the Red Square before a mass of troops, tanks, rockets and missiles.
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During the speeches, Russia’s 11-80 “doomsday” command plane will do a fly-by for the first time since 2010.
The flying command center is built as a secret mobile base for Russia’s leaders during the event of nuclear war and its presence is thought to be a pointed reminder to western countries.
In that scenario, the Il-80 is designed to become the roaming command centre for the Russian president. It is packed with technology but specific details are Russian state secrets.
The 69-year-old Kremlin leader has repeatedly likened the war in Ukraine to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Adolf Hitler’s Nazis invaded in 1941.
The specifics of the plane aren’t quite known as they remain Russian state secrets.
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The 69-year-old Kremlin leader has repeatedly likened the war in Ukraine to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Adolf Hitler’s Nazis invaded in 1941.
“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 on Feb. 24 when he announced what he called a special military operation in Ukraine.
“We will not make such a mistake a second time, we have no right.”
Putin casts the war in Ukraine as a battle to protect Russian speakers there from persecution by Nazis and to guard against what he terms the U.S. threat to Russia posed by NATO enlargement. Ukraine and the West dismiss the fascism claim as nonsense and say Putin is waging an unprovoked war of aggression.
Reuters with additional input by GVS