Vladimir Putin Holds Rally In Moscow (video)

The Vladimir Putin show: Strongman holds huge rally in front of thousands of ‘Z’ flag-waving Russians in World Cup stadium as he hails success of Ukraine ‘special operation’ and calls for ‘a world without Nazism’

Vladimir Putin today addressed a huge rally in Moscow to prop up support for his stalled invasion of Ukraine, on the anniversary of Russia ‘annexing’ Crimea in an initial attack on the country back in 2014.

The Russian president – dressed in a £10,000 Loro Piana jacket despite his country’s economy crumbling under the weight of Western sanctions – addressed a crowd of tens of thousands in Moscow’s Luzhniki World Cup stadium, most waving national flags but some waving ‘Z’ flags that have become a symbol of the Ukraine invasion.

Speaking in front of banners that read ‘For the world without Nazism’ and ‘For Russia’ – with the letter ‘Z’ in each picked out in bold – Putin spoke of sharing a ‘common destiny’ with Crimeans, of ‘de-Nazifying’ the region in 2014, and of the ‘bravery’ of soldiers currently fighting in Ukraine. He was met with chants of ‘Russia, Russia, Russia.’

A white letter ‘Z’, which has been painted on many of Russia’s military vehicles heading into Ukraine to identify them from enemy units, has become a potent symbol of Putin’s invasion and – more broadly – his militaristic aims to ‘reunite’ former Soviet states with Russia.

‘Sevastopol [capital of Crimea] did the right thing when they put up a barrier to neo-Nazis and radicals, which is already happening on other territories,’ he said. ‘[The] people of Donbass also disagreed with this, and straight-away they organised military operations against [the Nazis].

‘They were surrounded and shelled by guns, the Ukrainians sent airstrikes against them. This is called genocide,’ he said, repeating his widely-debunked justification for attacking. ‘It is to save people from this suffering and genocide that we launched our military operation which in Donbass and Ukraine.’

On the war in Ukraine, Putin praised the Russian troops taking part in his ‘special operation’, who he said are fighting for the ‘universal values’ of all Russians. The words ‘we don’t abandon our own’ were emblazoned on screens around the stadium.

‘The best confirmation is how our guys are fighting during this operation, shoulder to shoulder, helping each other. When it is necessary, they cover each-other as if it was their own brother from bullets. We haven’t had such unity in a long time,’ he said.

Putin used his speech to liken himself to Russian hero Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (1745-1817), who famously never lost a battle – despite the nightmare now unfolding in Ukraine.

‘It so happened that the start of the special operation coincided, quite by chance, with the birthday of one of our outstanding military leaders, the sainted Fyodor Ushakov, who throughout his brilliant military career never lost a battle,’ said Putin.

‘He once said: ‘These thunderstorms will go to the glory of Russia’.

‘So it was then. So it is today. And so it will always be.’

Ushakov was the supreme Russian commander of his age during the reigns of Catherinne the Great, her son Pavel, and grandson Alexandr I.

Putin’s spokesman explained the broadcast problems as a technical glitch at the server’ rather than Western interference.

The event included well-known singer Oleg Gazmanov singing ‘Made in the U.S.S.R.,’ with the opening lines ‘Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and Moldova, It’s all my country.’

But in a bizarre moment, Russian state television suddenly cut away from Putin mid-speech on Friday, instead showing patriotic songs being played at the event instead. Putin’s spokesman explained the broadcast problems as a technical glitch at the server’ rather than Western interference.

Putin went on to liken himself to Russian hero Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (1745-1817), who famously never lost a battle – despite the nightmare now unfolding in Ukraine.

‘It so happened that the start of the special operation coincided, quite by chance, with the birthday of one of our outstanding military leaders, the sainted Fyodor Ushakov, who throughout his brilliant military career never lost a battle,’ said Putin.

‘He once said: ‘These thunderstorms will go to the glory of Russia’.

‘So it was then. So it is today. And so it will always be.’

Ushakov was the supreme Russian commander of his age during the reigns of Catherinne the Great, her son Pavel, and grandson Alexandr I.