May 9 is Victory Day which is celebrated annually in Russia to commemorate the country's victory over the Nazis in 1945. It is the day of the great sacrifice that the Soviet Union made in defeating Nazi Germany in the "Great Patriotic War". Because this is an annual event, Pawi in 2022 will be held again like the previous year. During the celebration, the leader of the Russian state, Vladimir Putin, delivered a speech as usual to cheer up the families of the victims, show the country's empathy for the victims and convey condolences in memory of the fallen soldiers. But apparently something was different this year. It turns out that Putin's speech also briefly discussed his invasion of Ukraine. He also said that NATO is a threat to the Russian state. This statement caused concern around the world because it could lead to a third world war. The following is a discussion of the speech.
The History of The Event
Victory Day, or May 9, is a holiday commemorating the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, known in the Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War. The anniversary was celebrated for the first time in the 16 Union Republics after the signing of the surrender documents on the night of May 8, 1945 (after midnight, May 9 Moscow time). The Soviet government declared victory early on May 9 after a signing ceremony in Berlin. Although it was an official holiday in 1945, in 1965 it became the only and only holiday in the Federal Republic. In the German Democratic Republic, 8 May was celebrated as "Liberation Day" from 1950 to 1966 and again on its 40th birthday in 1985. In 1975, "Victory Day" was celebrated in Soviet style on 9 May. Since 2002, the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has celebrated a day of remembrance known as "Day of Liberation from National Socialism and the End of the Second World War". In 1988, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan celebrated Victory Day, but it was partially restored in 1999 as a day of remembrance. After independence from the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries now celebrate the end of the Second World War on May 8, Victory Day in Europe. Since 2015, Ukraine has joined the Baltic countries in celebrating the end and victory of World War II on Europe Day on May 8 and 9.
In the end, May 9 and 8 were historical days for the Russian state because these days claimed many lives in 1945. But that doesn't mean that Russia only holds parades for fun but to commemorate all those who have died and fought.
Discussion in Putin's Speech
In this year's speech, Putin, the country's leader, discussed several topics that worried the world. The reason is that he discussed his invasion of Ukraine, the desire to make peace with the west through NATO, and NATO itself which is the biggest threat to the Russian state.
as we know Russia's invasion of Ukraine was carried out on February 24, 2022. Putin said that this was not a war but only a special military operation. When the declaration of this invasion was echoed, missiles from Russia aimed and fell on Ukraine and on its capital, Kyiv. The land invasion was not spared by Russia from various directions to Ukraine. Zelensky instituted martial law and general mobilization that did not allow men aged 18-60 to leave the country. Russia launched an offensive via a northern front from Belarus to Kyiv, a northwestern front towards Kharkiv, a southern front from Crimea, and a southeastern front from the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. In March 2022, Russia's attack on Kyiv stopped. Due to heavy troop deaths and strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian forces withdrew from Kyiv Oblast on April 3, 2022. On April 19, Russia launched another offensive on a 500-kilometer (300 mi) front from Kharkiv to Donetsk and Luhansk, with offensives missiles on Kyiv in the north and Lviv in the west simultaneously. Massive protests have been made the world over the invasion. Many countries in the world think this is a heinous thing and even the UN demands Russia to withdraw its troops. However, this does not make Putin afraid because he thinks this is in the interests of his country. In a television address before the invasion, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, expressed views of Russian irredentism, questioned Ukraine's sovereign rights, and falsely claimed that Ukraine was dominated by neo-Nazists who tortured Russians in Ukraine. The conflict began with massive military preparations, starting from March to April 2021 and then from October 2021 to February 2022. During the second military preparation, Russia made demands on the United States and NATO, through two draft agreements containing requests for so-called “guarantee security". Prior to the attack, Putin and Kremlin officials made a long series of accusations against Ukraine and charges against Ukraine and NATO in what Western officials have described as an attempt to justify war. On February 18, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov accused the United States of tolerating forced Russian cultural assimilation in Ukraine. In his Feb. 21 speech, Putin said that Ukrainian society "was faced with a rise in right-wing nationalism, which quickly developed into Russophobia and aggressive neo-Nazism.".
Despite right-wing (political) leanings in Ukraine such as the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion and Right Sector, Putin's looks are explosive and this ideology has not yet been used in government, military or electoral support. Specifically, in response to Russian claims, Ukrainian-Jewish President Zelensky stated that his grandfather served in the Soviet army against the Nazis; Three members of his family died in the Holocaust. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum condemns Putin's misuse of Holocaust history to justify war. During the second preparations, Russia made demands to the United States and NATO, such as a legally binding promise that Ukraine would not join NATO and a reduction in NATO troops and navies in Eastern Europe. In addition, Russia threatens sudden military strikes if NATO continues its "aggressive line"
This claim has been widely interpreted as unreasonable; new members of NATO join (NATO) because their people want to move towards the security and economic opportunities offered by NATO and the European Union and away from Russia. Demands for a formal agreement to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO were also deemed inappropriate, although NATO has shown no intention of accepting Ukraine's offer of membership.
Putin stated that "Ukraine has never had a real statehood tradition" and that the Soviet Union made a mistake in creating it. The international community rejects Putin's claims. In particular, claims of Russian genocide in Ukraine have been widely dismissed as baseless. The EU Commission also dismissed the allegations as "Russian disinformation". The US Embassy in Ukraine has branded the Russian genocide a "cheap lie". US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Moscow used the claim as a pretext to attack Ukraine. Observers say Putin concocted a "false Nazi narrative" to use bad memories and World War II cooperation in German-occupied Ukraine to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In December 2021, Putin spoke out about discrimination against Russian speakers outside Russia, saying:
"I must say that Russophobia is the first step towards genocide." On February 15, 2022, Putin told the press:
"What happened in Donbass is genocide". The Russian government has also criticized the Ukrainian language law.
