The Russian President struck a threatening note on the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory over the Wehrmacht in the Battle of Stalingrad.
(Photo: dpa)
Volgograd In a speech at the commemoration ceremony 80 years after the Red Army’s victory over the Wehrmacht in Stalingrad, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin sharply criticized Germany. “It’s unbelievable, but it’s a fact: we’re being threatened again with the German Leopard tank,” Putin said on Thursday at a ceremony in Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad.
As in the Second World War, German weapons are being used to fight against Russia on Ukrainian soil, said the 70-year-old.
Russia will defend itself this time as it did against the German troops, Putin said, referring to the war against Ukraine, which he himself started almost a year ago: “We have something we can answer with. And the matter does not end with the use of armored vehicles. Everyone should understand that,” said the leader of the nuclear power.
Putin made his first public statement since Germany’s decision to supply tanks to Ukraine. He accused the “collective West” of pursuing anti-Russian policies similar to those under Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
“Now, unfortunately, we see the ideology of Nazism in a modern face, in its modern expression it again creates a threat to the security of our country,” Putin claimed. Germany emphasizes that it is not or does not want to become a war party.
Surviving German soldiers leave Stalingrad after the surrender in 1943. About a million people died in the battle.
(Photo: dpa)
Critics repeatedly accuse Putin of using the commemoration days, which are sacred for many Russians, to commemorate the victory of the Soviet Union against Hitler’s Germany in World War II for his propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine.
Critics: Putin abuses commemoration days
He started the war against Ukraine on February 24. To date, Russia occupies around 18 percent of Ukraine. With rocket and drone attacks, Russia has recently also deliberately destroyed energy infrastructure in Ukraine in order to plunge the country into darkness and cold. Again and again, simple houses are hit, which is why many civilians die as a result of Putin’s war.
On Thursday, Putin also visited a memorial for the defenders of Stalingrad in the years 1941 to 1943. To mark the anniversary, some place-name signs in Volgograd were exchanged and the city was temporarily renamed Stalingrad. A bust of Stalin was also unveiled to commemorate the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) who ruled the country during World War II.
More: All developments in the Ukraine war can be found here in the news blog