Putin's goal is to project power in military parades to defeat Nazi Germany for victory
Russia's President Vladimir V. Putin celebrated his country's victory over Nazi Germany 80 years ago on Friday, hosting a large military parade in Moscow, joined by top Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The event shows that Mr. Putin’s goal is to view himself as the leader of an emerging alliance with Xi Jinping’s anti-Western and non-aligned nations, who is sitting next to him on a stand overlooking the Red Square.
More than 20 other international guests were also participated, including President Luis Inasio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Prime Minister Robert Ficco of Slovakia and President Alexander Vosic of Serbia. Although the West strives to isolate Mr. Putin after Moscow’s full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, some believe that a large number of foreign leaders are a sign of Russia’s global influence.
But after three years of war, the military display may not reflect Russia's record on the battlefield. The country's military has not yet achieved a decisive victory, and in recent months it has achieved only a gradual rate in Ukraine. The economy has also been slowing down due to falling oil prices and falling interest rates as the country has been keeping high as it tries to tame inflation.
Over the past three years, Mr. Putin has tried to use the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany to legitimize his invasion of Ukraine. But, historically, it was the moment of the country’s biggest secular event and uniting the country’s many factions, instead turning it into another point of division.
