Missiles, tanks and other armored vehicles rumbled over the cobblestones in the annual military parade, and thousands of troops marched in tight formation as President Vladimir Putin watched with other dignitaries.
While lambasting the West, Putin gave no indication of a shift in strategies or made any indication that he was going to declare a broad mobilization, as some in Ukraine and the West have feared.
Victory Day is a rare event in the nation’s divisive post-Soviet history that is revered by all political players, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage patriotic pride and underline Russia’s role as a global power.
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