At the moment, a battle is being fought for our historical borders, for our people, the Russian president declared to a thousand rally in Moscow
President Vladimir Putin saluted Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine during a rally in Moscow, urging the crowd to chant “Russia, Russia” to show support for those he said were defending the homeland.
This is happening on the eve of the anniversary of the war in Ukraine and the holiday in honor of the Russian soldier.
Tens of thousands gathered at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, which has a capacity of 81,000, waving white, blue and red Russian flags. Patriotic songs played before Putin’s arrival.
„There is a battle going on right now for our historical borders, for our people. They are led by the same brave warriors as those who now stand here beside us. They fight heroically, bravely, bravely. We are proud of them,” Putin said at the “Glory to the Defenders of the Fatherland” event, which took place on the eve of Russia’s Feb. 23 holiday dedicated to servicemen.
“Today they are supported by the whole country,” Putin said of Russian forces in Ukraine, adding that he had just been briefed by the military superiors about the situation at the front.
The Kremlin is portraying the war as a “special military operation” to protect Russia’s own security in what it sees as an existential confrontation with the West.
The conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 after the pro-Russian president was ousted during the Ukrainian “Maidan Revolution” protests, and Russia annexed Crimea. Fighting also broke out in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, Reuters reports.
Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 last year, a move Western powers and Ukraine denounced as an imperial-style land grab.
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