Putin Frames Ukraine War as Fight Against NATO in Victory Day Address

Vladimir Putin used Russia's Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square on Saturday to describe Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine as heroes confronting an "aggressive force" backed by NATO, according to Kyiv Post reporting on the speech.

The annual commemoration of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany traditionally serves as a platform for Kremlin leadership. Putin's framing represents an escalation in official Russian messaging, falsely attributing Ukrainian resistance to NATO backing rather than to Ukrainian agency.

The speech coincided with a scaled-down military parade, reflecting ongoing constraints on Russian forces from nearly three years of war in Ukraine. The rhetoric underscores Moscow's continued alignment of the conflict with Cold War-era geopolitical divisions, positioning NATO as a unified adversary rather than individual member nations.

EU leaders have previously rejected Russian characterizations of NATO as the primary aggressor in the conflict.