Sawt Falasteen - Putin hails troops fighting in Ukraine as foreign leaders attend parade

Putin sat with China's Xi Jinping watching thousands of troops -- some of whom fought in Ukraine -- and an array of weapons, including new tanks and drones, by the Kremlin to mark the defeat of the Nazis.

Since launching the Ukraine offensive in 2022, Putin has evoked the Soviet war effort for his military campaign. Moscow's troops occupy a fifth of Ukraine and the three-year offensive killed thousands of people.

As Putin, Xi and some 20 other leaders were on Red Square, EU ministers were in Ukraine's Lviv, expected to endorse the creation of a special tribunal to try Russia's top leadership.

"The whole country, society and people support the participants of the special military operation," Putin said, addressing the parade.

"We are proud of their bravery and determination, of the fortitude that has always brought us only victory."

Russia has banned criticism of its offensive and hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled their country since.

Around 1,500 troops that had fought in Ukraine were among 11,000 marching on Red Square, state media reported.

For the first time, Russia showcased attack drones during the parade -- including those used in Ukraine -- alongside dozens of military vehicles. This is a contrast to previous years, when there were few tanks as most were at the front in Ukraine.

Putin also greeted heavily decorated North Korean officers on Red Square. Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia to help Moscow oust Ukrainian troops from its Kursk region.

"All the best to you and all your troops," he was heard saying.

Chinese troops took part in the parade, with Putin and Xi holding talks a day earlier.

- 'Proud' -

AFP journalists saw spectators cheer as troops who fought in Ukraine marched by.

Putin has long said that the Soviet Union and primarily Russia were the main victors in WWII and called his nation Friday the "heirs of victors".

Olga Zhuravleva, whose father and grandfather fought in WWII, decried US leader Donald Trump for saying the war was "mostly accomplished because of us."

"Complete nonsense," she said, adding that she feels "great" pride for her country.

The Soviet Union lost more than 20 million civilians in WWII. These included Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Central Asians and other peoples from the Soviet Union.

Under 25 years of Putin's rule, the Kremlin has tightly controlled historical memory, promoting a patriotic vision of the 20th century -- praising military feats, while glossing over uncomfortable parts such as the Soviet-Nazi Pact and the 1939 invasion of Poland.

Putin and other foreign leaders laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden by the Kremlin walls. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who defied Brussels by going to Moscow, stood behind Putin.

- 'Last year' of conflict -

Talks by the US with both Ukraine and Russia to end the conflict appear to have stalled. But many in Moscow were still hopeful.

Natalia Tarasova, 45, came from Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine to watch the Moscow parade. Fighting has made holding events in Donetsk impossible.

"We believe that it is the last year when we do not meet on our square (to hold a parade)," she told AFP.

Putin has declared a three-day truce in Ukraine to mark the occasion.

But Kyiv has accused Russia of violating it hundreds of times. Moscow has also said that Kyiv launched attacks.

Ukraine's national police said Friday that a Russian drone attack killed a 63-year-old woman the day before in the Zaporizhzhia region, despite the truce.

Kyiv reported attacks in the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions Friday.

- Europe Day in Lviv -

Kyiv argues the parade has "nothing to do with the victory over Nazism" and that those marching on Red Square were "quite likely" implicit in crimes against Ukrainians.

As Putin saluted his troops on Red Square, EU foreign ministers were in Ukraine's Lviv in a show of support, in a step towards the creation of a tribunal for Moscow to face punishment.

"There will be no impunity, there will be accountability for the crimes committed," EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Thursday in Warsaw before travelling to Kyiv.

The special tribunal is designed to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the "crime of aggression".

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has already issued arrest warrants for Putin over the abduction of Ukrainian children, and four of his top commanders for targeting civilians.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST