Full Speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Victory Day

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — President Vladimir Putin used his Victory Day speech in Russia’s Red Square, Moscow, on Sunday (9/5), to once again attack NATO and the West while defending Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as a “forced” step to safeguard Russia’s national security.

In his speech commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, Putin accused NATO countries of ignoring Russia’s security proposals and continuing to expand military infrastructure near Russia’s borders. According to him, threats to Russia have been intensifying after Kiev sought to approach NATO and opened the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons.

“NATO countries do not want to listen to us,” Putin said. “Unacceptable threats to us are constantly being created right on our borders.”

Putin also accused the United States and its allies of supporting “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine and preparing a “punitive operation” in Donbass and Crimea. He described Russia’s military operation as a “preemptive strike” which he believes was the “only correct decision” for a sovereign state like Russia.

In the nationalistic-toned speech, Putin asserted that Russia would not bow to Western dominance. He accused the West of attempting to erase Russia’s traditional values, falsifying the history of the Second World War, and fostering Russophobia. “We will never give up our love for the Fatherland, our faith, and our traditional values,” he stated.

Putin also praised Russian troops and Donbass militias currently fighting in Ukraine. He described them as defending Russia’s future and preventing the resurgence of modern Nazism. In an emotional part of his speech, Putin observed a minute of silence for fallen Russian soldiers as well as victims of the conflict in Donbass and Odessa.

At the end of the speech, Putin emphasised Russia’s multietnic unity as the country’s main strength. “This is where Russia’s strength lies, the great and invincible strength of our united and multietnic people,” he said before closing the speech with the slogan, “For Russia! For Victory!”

The following is the full text of Putin’s speech translated into Indonesian: