Russia shows its teeth with Victory Day parade

Fresh from his inauguration for a fourth term as president ,Vladimir Putin used this year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow to reaffirm Russia’s willingness to defend itself against Western aggression.

As well as thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks, the annual military parade through Red Square showcased some of Russia’s most advanced weaponry. This included nuclear missiles, a flypast by Russia’s new SU-57 stealth fighter, which has recently been deployed to Syria, and a new hypersonic missile, known as the Kinzhal, which Putin recently described as “invincible”.

The Victory Day parade, which commemorates the 27 million Russians who died defeating Nazi Germany in the Second World War, has become “a major public ritual in Russia”, says CNN.

Russia’s role in defeating Nazism has assumed even greater significance since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of superpower status in the 1990s.

In recent years, says The Guardian, “critics have accused the Kremlin of using the holiday to push an aggressive form of nationalism”. Reuters says the authorities “use the event to boost patriotic feeling and show the world and potential buyers of military hardware how a multi-billion dollar modernisation programme is changing the face of the Russian military”.

Since coming to power, Putin has increased military spending significantly, handed the military significant policy-making clout, and deployed Russian forces in Ukraine and Syria.

While Putin has stated he does not want a new arms race, with relations with the West at their worst levels since the Cold War, he used this year’s Victory Day parade to warn potential enemies that Russia has the capabilities and the will to defend itself from attack.

“Peace is very fragile,” Putin said in a speech marking the start of the parade. “We remember the tragedies of the two world wars, about the lessons of history which do not allow us to become blind. The same old ugly traits are appearing along with new threats: egoism, intolerance, aggressive nationalism and claims to exceptionalism.”

“We understand the full seriousness of those threats,” he added.

In a reminder of the complex geopolitics of Russia’s position, Putin was joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in Moscow for talks on Syria. While Russia is a staunch ally of Israel’s sworn enemy, Iran, Netanyahu’s visit is a tacit acknowledgment of Putin’s role as the Middle East’s primary power broker.