Putin spoke at the parade until May 9 in Moscow. He did not announce the mobilization

Russian President Putin delivered a speech at a parade in Moscow until May 9. He did not announce the mobilization, which was reported by the media. He also did not explicitly declare war and annexation of Donbas.

Instead, Putin spoke about Russiaʼs special path, about NATOʼs "aggression", the protection of Donbas from the mythical "Nazis" and the "martyrs" of Odesa, referring to the events of May 2, 2014.

He said that Russian troops in Ukraine were fighting "for their homeland" and "their historic lands."

"Everything said that a clash with the neo-Nazis, banderivtsi would be inevitable [...], Russia gave a warning resistance to aggression. It was a timely decision [...]. Today, the militias of Donbas together with the Russian army are fighting on their land," Putin said.

• The Kremlin said that 11,000 people, 131 units of military equipment, 77 planes, and helicopters were taking part in the parade in Moscow. Earlier, Putinʼs speaker said that due to the weather, the air part of the parade was canceled — it was expected that the Il-80 "Doomsday" plane would fly over the square. Western media have previously reported that in this way, Putin will give a warning signal to Western countries.