The Kremlin’s official narrative has painted a picture of an existential conflict with the West, which in Moscow’s view is merely using Ukraine as a tool to destroy Russia, rewrite its history and crush its traditional values.

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Putin tells Victory Day parade ‘real war’ unleashed on Russia

Putin tells Victory Day parade ‘real war’ unleashed on Russia

That version of events has dominated Russian state media coverage of the war.

In his speech, Putin insisted that the West’s “untamed ambitions, arrogance and impunity” are to blame for the conflict.

Putin welcomed soldiers fighting in Ukraine who were present at the parade. “To Russia! To our brave armed forces! To victory!” Putin concluded the speech.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared Russia’s “show of force” in Moscow on Tuesday would not intimidate the European Union, which he said should reform to become a larger “geopolitical” bloc.

The EU should stay “steadfast in our support for Ukraine, as long as it is necessary”, Scholz told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Referring to how Germany’s Nazi-era “imperialistic megalomania” gave way to the EU and its ambition for collective peace and prosperity, Scholz said: “None of us wants to be back at the time in Europe when the law of the strongest applied.”

That, he said, “is why the message of May 9 is not what is coming out from Moscow today. Rather it is our message, which is: the past will not triumph over the future”.

Scholz said that, with the rise of heavyweight economies in Africa, Asia and South America, “the world of the 21st century will be multipolar”.

Those nostalgic for “great power status fantasies … are stuck in the past”.

He acknowledged that “rivalry and competition on the side of China have certainly increased” and backed the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that a “smart de-risking” of Europe from China was needed, rather than the tougher line the United States was pressing for.

The US “remains Europe’s most important ally”, he added, emphasising the role of Nato in boosting Europe’s drive for greater defence production, for its own security as well as to supply Ukraine in its war against Russia.

To bolster the EU’s prospects as it navigates a changing world, Scholz argued that the bloc should make good on its promises to let Western Balkan neighbours join.

But that shone a light on the need of some serious housekeeping within the EU, he said.

Notably, it needs to streamline decision-making on defence and tax matters, to do away with the veto power individual member states currently wield.

Meanwhile, Russia unleashed a barrage of cruise missiles on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, hours before the start of the Moscow parade, which this year took place amid tight security measures.

The Kremlin’s forces launched 25 missiles overnight in a wave of attacks, the Ukrainian air force said, adding that air defences had successfully destroyed 23 of them.

The barrage came as Moscow and other cities hosted military parades and other festivities marking Victory Day, Russia’s biggest secular holiday that this year has been significantly overshadowed by the war.

At least 21 Russian cities cancelled May 9 military parades – the staple of celebrations across Russia – for the first time in years.

The Immortal Regiment processions, in which crowds take to the streets holding portraits of relatives who died or served in World War II – another pillar of the holiday – were also cancelled in multiple cities.

Regional officials blamed unspecified “security concerns”. Some speculated, however, that the reason behind cancelling Immortal Regiment marches was the fact that Russians might bring portraits of relatives who died in Ukraine to those processions, illustrating the scale of Russia’s losses.

Official figures said around 8,000 soldiers were deployed on Moscow’s Red Square, apparently including men who recently fought in Ukraine.

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The traditional military parade on Red Square ended without an air show, despite clear skies above Moscow.

On show were mainly wheeled armoured vehicles, but main battle tanks were absent, aside from the historic T-34.

No official statement was given on the absence of battle tanks and aircraft, as usually the parade includes battle tanks.

In recent years, Moscow has mainly shown the latest Armata (T-14) tank.

In April, Russian media reported that the Armata would be used for the first time in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Although initially, no foreign leaders were expected to attend, the leaders of former Soviet republics Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia were at the ceremonies.

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The pared-down celebrations come after ambiguous official reports last week that two Ukrainian drones flew into the heart of Moscow under the cover of darkness and reached the Kremlin before being shot down.

Moscow blames Kyiv for the alleged attempted attack on Putin, while Ukraine says the whole incident was staged by Russia, amid the faltering war effort.

On Monday, Ukraine commemorated the end of World War II together with Europe, with President Volodymyr Zelensky vowing that Russian forces would be defeated just as Nazi Germany was beaten in 1945.

Zelensky said he had submitted a bill to parliament to formally commemorate World War II in Ukraine on May 8. For years the anniversary was marked on May 9, as it was in Russia and other ex-Soviet countries.

Ukraine would mark a separate Europe Day on May 9, which promotes peace and unity on the continent, he said.

Additional reporting by dpa and Agence France-Presse