Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday defended the conflict in Ukraine during his annual “Victory Day” speech, calling on the country’s military to seek victory.
Defending Russia “when its fate is being decided has always been sacred,” he told a crowd in Moscow. “Today you are fighting for our people in Donbass, for the security of Russia, our homeland.”
There was speculation that the Russian leader would use Victory Day to announce that Russia had won in Ukraine or would announce an all-out war against the country, coming as Moscow’s forces have remained bogged down since the start of the Feb. 24 invasion. Putin, however, didn’t use the speech to announce an escalation in the conflict, and instead, he said that Western powers provoked Russia.
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