Russia holds Victory Day parade.

Putin's message

In a speech at a ceremony in Red Square, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed: "Russia will do everything to avoid conflict with world powers, and will not allow any side to threaten it," according to Reuters. He emphasized that Russia's strategic nuclear forces are always in a state of combat readiness. The leader said that Russia has never underestimated the contributions of its allies in World War II. He said that Russia is going through a difficult period and the future of the country depends on the Russian people.

President Putin speaks at the ceremony on May 9th.

Sputnik reported that the parade on Red Square involved more than 9,000 servicemen and 75 units of weapons. Public attention was focused on the equipment displayed by Russia, including the S-400 air defense missile system, the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system, the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile, and various types of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. Similar to last year, a T-34 tank was the only tank participating in yesterday's parade.

Points of conflict: Putin says Russia will not be intimidated; US halts bomb shipments to Israel.

Observers believe the absence of main battle tanks at the ceremony is due to Russia diverting tank resources to the Ukrainian battlefield, which has suffered significant losses after more than two years of fighting. This year also featured a performance by the Russian Air Force's aerobatic team, combining Su-30 and MiG-29 fighter jets.

The Yars ballistic missile system during the parade.

And the major air raid

A day before the event, the Russian military launched attacks on Ukraine, which Reuters described as the largest airstrike in weeks. Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukrainian energy facilities.

According to DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, at least three of its thermal power plants were severely damaged overnight, along with two hydroelectric plants. The attack prompted Ukrainian authorities to warn of nationwide power outages. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal estimated that more than 800 heating systems were damaged, resulting in a loss of at least 8 GW of electricity, and that the government would need $1 billion to repair the damage.

The Russian Ministry of Defense 's Telegram channel reported that the military fired high-precision missiles, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure and military-industrial complexes.

Kyiv retaliated with a drone attack on an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region of Russia, damaging several oil tanks, according to regional officials on May 9.

The aircraft formation displayed the colors of the Russian flag.

In another development, tensions between Russia and the West continue to escalate after Britain expelled the Russian defense attaché, whom London identified as Colonel Maxim Elovik. The British Home Office accused Elovik of being an "undeclared intelligence agent" for the Kremlin. Britain also closed several Russian diplomatic facilities and restricted the validity of diplomatic visas. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Britain for using "blatant lies" to justify the decision to expel the Russian defense attaché. She warned: "Any unfriendly action will receive a proportionate response. Russia's response will be firm and measured."

A formation of armored vehicles in Red Square on May 9th.

Russia withdraws forces from Armenia.

Interfax reported on May 9th that President Putin had agreed to withdraw Russian troops and border guards from several areas in Armenia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reached the agreement after talks in Moscow on May 8th.

"In the autumn of 2020, at the request of the Armenian side, our army and border guards were deployed to several areas of Armenia. Mr. Pashinyan said that now, due to changed conditions, there is no longer a need, and President Putin has agreed to withdraw the troops," according to Mr. Peskov. However, Russian border guards will remain on Armenia's border with Türkiye and Iran, at the request of Yerevan.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-duyet-binh-ngay-chien-thang-185240509192620543.htm