80 years have passed since World War II ended and Nazi Germany was defeated. This is being widely observed in Russia with the Victory Day parade, which was held for the first time on May 9, 1945, on Red Square in Moscow.
Among those present in Moscow are Brazil's President Lula da Silva, China's leader Xi Jinping, and Slovakia's Prime Minister.
North Koreans participate
For the fourth year in a row, the commemoration of Russia's invasion war in Ukraine is being marked.
The entire country, society, and people support those participating in the special military operation, President Vladimir Putin claims, using a euphemistic description of Russia's full-scale invasion war, which began in 2022.
North Korean soldiers are also participating in the military parade. The dictatorship confirmed in April that it is fighting on Russia's side in the war. According to reports from, among others, South Korea, North Korea has sent over 10,000 soldiers to the war.
Russian propaganda
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha accuses Vladimir Putin on Friday of hijacking the victory in World War II.
We are celebrating Europe Day together, while a parade is taking place in the Kremlin. And Putin, he may consider himself the winner, but he has no right to monopolize the victory, he says.
Russia has justified its attacks on Ukraine with lies about the democratically elected government in Kyiv being "Nazi" and Ukrainian independence an extremist invention – to give the impression that today's war is being fought in line with the struggle waged back then. Putin used the same rhetoric in Moscow on Friday.
