Russia launches missile attacks ahead of Putin’s Victory Day speech

Putin will deliver a speech in Red Square today, where he will be joined by leaders of several former Soviet republics.

Like last year, he is likely to compare the fighting in Ukraine to World War II in an attempt to support his war.

In his speech last year, he made few direct references to the invasion of Ukraine, but called on Russians to respond to the bravery of their forefathers.

Defending her country, when her fate was decided, was always sacred, she said.

With such feelings of genuine patriotism, they stood up for the motherland, militiamen of Minim and Pozharsky, attacked the Borodino field, fought with the enemy near Moscow and Leningrad, Putin and Minsk, Stalingrad and Kurs, Sevastopol and Kharkiv.

Now, these days, you are fighting for our people in Donbas, for the security of our homeland – Russia.

Last year Putin attacked NATO for expanding towards Russia’s borders and hailed Soviet heroism in resisting Hitler. Since then, Finland which borders Russia has also joined NATO.

He said: NATO is actively pursuing our territory. This is completely unacceptable to us. We are talking about neo-Nazis in Ukraine with whom the US and its partners are working.