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The landmark day for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, May 9, has arrived and is expected to reveal many of Vladimir Putin's intentions for the continuation of military operations, the escalation of threats against the West, even with nuclear weapons, but also about the climate in Moscow after 75 nightmarish days that have plunged the Ukrainian people into the tragedy of war and the whole world into an unthinkable until recently, full of fear, uncertainty and dramatic effects on their daily lives.
Amid growing concerns over nuclear threats from Moscow for the coming “world catastrophe,” Putin is preparing for the spectacular military parade he has established each year on the anniversary of his victory over Nazism in World War II. But the images from Red Square this year are expected to cause only disgust, horror and unpleasant associations, as the Russian army continues its atrocities in Ukraine, leveling entire areas and spreading death and despair.
In a show of force, causing only terror, 11,000 soldiers, including paratroopers who took part in the invasion of Ukraine, 131 advanced weapons of all kinds, are expected to parade in the shadow of St. Basil's Cathedral next to the imposing Kremlin building. , 77 planes and helicopters, with 8 of the fighter jets forming the letter “Z”, the symbol for the “military special operation”. Also, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, will be presented the Iskander missiles used against Ukraine, tanks, anti-aircraft systems, robot fighters, intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, but also the beastly Illyrian- to allow the Russian president to continue to rule the country from the air, in the event of a nuclear war!
Estimates are growing in the West, as well as fears that Putin, under pressure from deadlocks and heavy casualties on Ukraine's fronts, could raise his country's nuclear arsenal, threaten the United States and NATO, but also to officially declare war on the neighboring country, thus upgrading the “special military operation”, as it has characterized the invasion of February 24. This will enable him to gather more reserves and as Western analysts explain “if he does not do it means he knows he can not win. If it does, the worst is near “& # 8211; The certainty that it will declare war, however, is expressed by the British Ministry of Defense,
However, the Kremlin itself has categorically denied since last Friday that it will officially declare war on Ukraine & # 8211; and together general mobilization. Still, until the last minute, no one is sure what exactly Putin can say or say on the occasion of the parade.
Putin gave a taste of his intentions in his wishes for May 8, stating that “like in 1945, the victory will be ours; today, our military, like their ancestors, are fighting side by side for liberation. of their homeland from Nazi dirt. ” He added: “Unfortunately, today, Nazism has raised its head again. It is our sacred duty to prevent the ideological heirs of those who have been defeated. “
The famous Russian military superiority is being tested in practice and Putin needs to appear to the Russian people on Monday as a “winner”, while sending a message to NATO that he is not going to give up some of the key goals he has set since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Even if he needs to paint a good picture, the huge losses of his army on the field, the international isolation of his country and the impact on the Russian economy tarnish any attempt to justify resorting to war. That's why escalation seems to be a no-brainer for Putin.
Zelensky's message and the mobilization of the West
Indirectly responding to the Moscow crescendo against Nazism and justifying the invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly sermon that “Russia has forgotten everything that was important to the victors of World War II.” He blamed the Kremlin for the “heavy bombardment” in many parts of Ukraine, including the one that caused the deaths of 60 civilians in a school that had been turned into a refuge in the east of the country.
“Ukraine has shown that it is part of a free world and a united Europe against the isolated Moscow, which chooses evil and hatred and the whole world will see it tomorrow,” Zelensky said./p>
With the thoughts in today's “messages” from Moscow, what dominated yesterday at the G7 leaders' meeting, was the confrontation of the extreme threats from Putin. According to Downing Street, the leaders agreed that the world should step up economic pressure on Russia, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the world “should do more and move faster” to support Ukraine, which It needs military equipment that “will allow it not only to hold its ground but also to regain territory.”
a ceasefire as soon as possible, and to give new impetus to peace negotiations. “
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Solz said: “People should not underestimate the danger of an escalation, that is, a generalized war, or even the destructive use of nuclear weapons for humanity; the danger is real and anyone who tries to ignore it historic and crucial mistake “.
Moscow demands division of Ukraine
What Putin is likely to announce today is, in a way, the “annexation of territories” of Ukraine. Moscow now speaks directly to the “territorial acquis” (in Donbas, Kherson, beyond Crimea) that emerged on the battlefield and seeks recognition from the Zelensky government and the international community. And so the Russian president should also claim for domestic consumption, that the invasion of Ukraine has “profits”. The Kremlin has made in recent days, in view of today, extremely clear its demands from Kyiv, but also the West. But demands that neither Volodymyr Zelensky nor the leaders of Europe, let alone the United States, are willing to accept, as they lead to the division of the country. And that means fears of a war that could last for many months, maybe even years.
Russian officials – obviously Vladimir Putin himself – I swear – with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova first talking about a new “territorial reality” that has emerged over the past 2.5 months, making it clear that she wants a de facto border change. and division of Ukraine. In fact, on Friday, the general secretary of President Putin's United Russia party, Andrei Turchak, said from Kherson that “Russia will remain in southern Ukraine forever”!
Moscow claims that “the reunification of Crimea with Russia and the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics are established territorial realities that Kyiv and the authorities of other countries must recognize.”
He blames Kiev for the political turmoil that followed in 2014 when the pro-Russian Yanukovych government fell, and hinted that the people of the region would decide their fate through referendums. “We must respect the legitimate and well-founded choice of peoples and the right of nations to self-determination, as enshrined in the UN Charter,” Zakharova said, unfolding the Kremlin's plan for the next day of the war. The referendums, according to reports on Russian plans in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson, are modeled on those held eight years ago in Crimea.
Documents and maps have been circulating in Russia for a few days now, with some of them talking about the establishment of the state of “Southern Russia”, but without the slightest official confirmation of this. However, the fact that some of what is mentioned in the documents is being uttered recently and by official lips in Moscow, leads to the assessment that the Kremlin maintains a kind of “Great Idea”, which fuels Russian expansion. Even if these plans are not exaggerated, they are also indicative of the moods of some extremists in Moscow.
A map released a few days ago shows, if it really shows real aspirations of Moscow, that Russia wants to control not only Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk), but also areas further north and centrally in the country, such as Kharkiv, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as all of Ukraine by the sea. borders with Moldova indicate that Moscow is seeking a complete maritime blockade of that country.
Source: protothema.gr
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Ukraine: Images from the school in Bilochorivka are shocking – Fears for dozens of dead
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