logo
In Pictures: Russia marks victory over Nazis 80 years on

In Pictures: Russia marks victory over Nazis 80 years on

Victory Day on May 9 is one of Russia's biggest national holidays, as the country marks the 27 million people who were lost from the former Soviet Union during the conflict.
The parade sees Russian President Vladimir Putin projecting his country's global power, even as the conflict in Ukraine drags on.
Belarusian servicemen also attended the parade (RIA Novosti via AP)
Russian T-80 BVM tanks were on show in Red Square (RIA Novosti via AP)
The Second World War is a rare event in Russia's divisive history under Communist rule that is revered by all political groups, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage national pride and underline Russia's position as a global power.
The former Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what it refers to as the Great Patriotic War in 1941-45, an enormous sacrifice that left a deep scar in the national psyche.
Foreign leaders including China's Xi Jinping joined Vladimir Putin for the celebrations (RIA Novosti via AP)
The event is a projection of Russian military power as well as a commemoration of the millions who died (RIA Novosti via AP)
Speaking at the parade, Mr Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, saying that 'we are proud of their courage and determination, their spiritual force that always has brought us victory'.
The parade featured more than 11,500 troops and more than 180 military vehicles, including tanks, armoured infantry vehicles and artillery used on the battlefield in Ukraine. As a reminder of Russia's nuclear might, launchers for the Yars nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles rolled across Red Square.
Oscar-winning US director Oliver Stone was present for the parade (RIA Novosti via AP)
Chinese servicemen hold their national flag as they attend the parade (RIA Novosti via AP)
Fighter jets of Russian air force's aerobatic teams flew by in close formation followed by jets that trailed smoke in the colours of the national flag.
After the show, Mr Putin shook hands with Russian military officers who led the troops on Red Square. He also talked to a group of medal-bedecked senior North Korean officers who watched the parade, hugging one of them.
Egyptian servicemen were also part of the display (RIA Novosti via AP)
A Russian soldier rides on an armored vehicle VPK-Ural in Red Square (Ilya Pitalev/Photo host agency RIA Novosti via AP)
Festivities this year were overshadowed by Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capital's airports.
Russian authorities tightened security before the parade and mobile phone internet outages have been reported amid electronic counter-measures aimed at foiling more potential drone attacks.
Russian Air Force Su-25 jets fly overhead (RIA Novosti via AP)
The event is marked by spectacular large-scale displays by soldiers (Evgeny Biyatov/Photo host agency RIA Novosti via AP)
Mr Putin had declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting on May 7 to coincide with the Victory Day celebrations, but warned that Russian troops will retaliate to any attacks. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported scores of Russian strikes on Friday that killed at least two people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and damaged buildings.
As the Red Square parade and other festivities unfolded in Moscow, dozens of European officials were meeting in Lviv, in western Ukraine, to endorse the creation of a special tribunal tasked to prosecute Russian officials accused of war crimes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire in Ukraine over the holiday (RIA Novosti via AP)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump says Israel and Iran will come to deal ‘soon'
Trump says Israel and Iran will come to deal ‘soon'

Leader Live

time5 minutes ago

  • Leader Live

Trump says Israel and Iran will come to deal ‘soon'

Mr Trump in an early morning social meeting posting said the United States 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran' as Israel and Iran traded missile attacks for the third straight day. 'The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight. If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and… — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 15, 2025 Iran, however, has said that it would hold the US, which has provided Israel with much of its deep arsenal of weaponry, for its backing of Israel. Israel targeted Iran's Defence Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were associated with Iran's nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defences and slammed into buildings deep inside the country. Mr Trump said: 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US armed forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.' Hours later, the US president took to social media again to predict that 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal'. The US president made the claim that he has built a track record for de-escalating conflicts, and that he would get Israel and Iran to cease hostilities 'just like I got India and Pakistan to' after the two countries' recent cross-border confrontation. Mr Trump also pointed to efforts by his administration during his first term to mediate disputes between Serbia and Kosovo and Egypt and Ethiopia. 'Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!' Mr Trump said. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!' The growing conflict between Israel and Iran is testing Mr Trump, who ran on a promise to quickly end the brutal wars in Gaza and Ukraine and build a foreign policy that more broadly favours steering clear of foreign conflicts. Mr Trump has struggled to find an endgame to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. And after criticising President Joe Biden during last year's campaign for preventing Israel from carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Mr Trump found himself making the case to the Israelis to give diplomacy a chance. His administration's push on Tehran to give up its nuclear program came after the US and other world powers reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement in 2015 that limited Tehran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Mr Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday about the growing Israel-Iran conflict, and he is set to travel to Canada for Group of Seven leaders summit where the Mideast crisis will loom large over his talks with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan and the European Union.

The Israelis are doing the world a big favour
The Israelis are doing the world a big favour

Telegraph

time24 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

The Israelis are doing the world a big favour

Iran has been behind most of the instability in the Middle East for at least the past two decades. Its militias ignited Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and enabled Islamic State to develop across parts of the Arab world. Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon and Syria, kept the dreadful Assads in power for a generation and enabled the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. I saw Hezbollah up close in Syria for 10 years and I saw this year the huge joy of the Syrian people when the Iran-backed militia was vanquished there. Iran has also directed the Houthis to bring global shipping to its knees and backs the bloody-handed murderers of Hamas. But the mullahs' grand strategic plan has always been to develop a nuclear arsenal. This would have been an intolerable danger not only to Israel but to other nations regarded as enemies by the Tehran regime – including us. Sadly, President Donald Trump proved unable to persuade the mullahs to give up their nuclear programme. It must now be abundantly clear that the leadership in Iran has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons programme, and Iranian bombs menace London and Washington as much as Tel Aviv. Like President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the Supreme Leader in Tehran has no concern for his civilian population. Hence, whatever people think of Israel, their efforts in this case to end the nuclear ambitions of Iran must be applauded and supported by the entire free world. There is huge concern, and rightly so, about escalation but nobody is or should be keen to support Tehran. Even though Iran has given much support to Putin in his illegal fight with Ukraine, he has barely lifted a finger or even said anything to help. Of course, the truth is that Putin actually disdains everyone in the Middle East and without gold, missiles or some other inducement he would never do anything for Iran. Other traditional supporters of the mullahs have been deafening in their silence. Any escalation will only come from Iran, and only if we let it. This dangerous situation, in my view, makes it even plainer than it already was that we British must spend – as an absolute minimum – 3 per cent of GDP on defence. And that figure must not be achieved by pretending that intelligence, spies, diplomacy or pensions are defence spending, as we are doing now with our current, misleading, 2.6 per cent aspiration. We need an actual genuine increase in spending on actual genuine defence, not more smoke and mirrors from the Treasury. Hopefully even the 'wokerati', who bizarrely seem to support everyone who would do us harm – and who seem blind to the fact that those they support do not share their values in the slightest – will realise that hiding behind their fake shemaghs and liberation flags won't protect them in any way from the mullahs who would see us all burn in hell, with gay people and feminists first in the queue. Meanwhile with our limited resources we are doing the right things. I applaud the deployment of RAF jets to the region. Force is the only useful currency in dealing with Iran. The Israelis are doing our work for us, but we should stand ready to help if required. And help may, in fact, be required, though we Brits cannot provide it. The deepest parts of the uranium enrichment complex at Natanz are probably beyond the reach of any weapon the Israelis have. It might be necessary to deploy the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a huge and heavy steel spear with an explosive payload like the bunker-busting bombs of WWII. Only heavy US bombers can carry the MOP, and so the decision would be one for President Trump. An alternative might be some kind of daring special operation. Mossad and the various other Israeli secret services would seem well able to manage this sort of thing, as they have proved against Hezbollah. There are many people in this country who are concerned that this conflict will ignite a wider war across the Middle East. They worry that the UK could be drawn into the fight, and I understand that. As a British soldier I went to war twice in the region. Nevertheless, I believe that Israel's necessary strikes on Iran's nuclear weapons programmes will make the world in general, and Britain in particular, much safer than allowing the Islamic Republic to gain possession of 'the bomb'. It is better to deal with such festering problems before they have fully developed, rather than later.

Trump says Israel and Iran will come to deal ‘soon'
Trump says Israel and Iran will come to deal ‘soon'

Rhyl Journal

time34 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Trump says Israel and Iran will come to deal ‘soon'

Mr Trump in an early morning social meeting posting said the United States 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran' as Israel and Iran traded missile attacks for the third straight day. 'The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight. If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and… — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 15, 2025 Iran, however, has said that it would hold the US, which has provided Israel with much of its deep arsenal of weaponry, for its backing of Israel. Israel targeted Iran's Defence Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were associated with Iran's nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defences and slammed into buildings deep inside the country. Mr Trump said: 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US armed forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.' Hours later, the US president took to social media again to predict that 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal'. The US president made the claim that he has built a track record for de-escalating conflicts, and that he would get Israel and Iran to cease hostilities 'just like I got India and Pakistan to' after the two countries' recent cross-border confrontation. Mr Trump also pointed to efforts by his administration during his first term to mediate disputes between Serbia and Kosovo and Egypt and Ethiopia. 'Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!' Mr Trump said. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!' The growing conflict between Israel and Iran is testing Mr Trump, who ran on a promise to quickly end the brutal wars in Gaza and Ukraine and build a foreign policy that more broadly favours steering clear of foreign conflicts. Mr Trump has struggled to find an endgame to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. And after criticising President Joe Biden during last year's campaign for preventing Israel from carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Mr Trump found himself making the case to the Israelis to give diplomacy a chance. His administration's push on Tehran to give up its nuclear program came after the US and other world powers reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement in 2015 that limited Tehran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Mr Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday about the growing Israel-Iran conflict, and he is set to travel to Canada for Group of Seven leaders summit where the Mideast crisis will loom large over his talks with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan and the European Union.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store