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President Vladimir Putin said Russia was being threatened again by German tanks like during World War II. Photo/Sputnik via REUTERS
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin say Russia threatened again by German tanks as it had been during World War II . He warned that Moscow was ready to respond to aggression from the West.
Putin made the point in a fiery speech at an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany in Stalingrad on Thursday.
Putin draws parallels between the Soviet Union’s struggles in World War II and Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine today.
“This is hard to believe but true. We are again being threatened by German Leopard tanks,” he said in the southern city of Volgograd.
Also read: Often wishy-washy, Russia doubts Germany’s refusal to send fighter jets to Ukraine
Just to note, Germany has promised the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion. Berlin has changed its stance, from previously refusing to supply weapons to Kiev to taking part in a NATO alliance that provides Kiev with modern weapons.
“Again and again we were forced to repel the collective aggression of the West,” he said again, as quoted by AFP, Friday (3/2/2023).
“We are not sending tanks to their borders but we have something to respond to, and it’s not just about using armored vehicles. Everyone should understand this,” he said.
“A modern war with Russia will be very different,” Putin added.
Since sending troops into pro-Western Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against the West if the conflict escalates.
“Readiness to go to the end, to do the impossible for the sake of the motherland, for the sake of truth is and is in the blood, in the character of our multinational people,” said Putin.
The Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943 raged for nearly six months and when it ended, the city was in ruins and over a million soldiers and civilians lost their lives.
The victory of the Red Army marked a turning point not only for the Soviet Union, which had suffered several crushing defeats, but also for the Allied troops.
The 80th anniversary of the victory comes as Russia seeks to step up its offensive in Ukraine, backed by tens of thousands of reservists mobilized last fall.
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