parade

Putin Publicly Accuses USA of “Moral Degradation”

Russia’s annual Victory Day parade on May 9 is always a grandiose affair, but this year’s celebration was even more high-profile than most. With the war in Ukraine still grinding on, Vladimir Putin made a highly anticipated appearance to commemorate Russia’s victory in World War II and address the state of the current war. During his speech the Russian president specifically attacked the United States, claiming that it suffers from a “moral degradation.”

Parade proceeds largely as normal

Thousands of soldiers, tanks, missile launchers, and other military assets filled the streets of Moscow as Putin took his place on Red Square to give his speech.

He was accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who according to some Western commentators was purged or died two months ago. He looked to be alive enough as he arrived to receive salutes from the assembled soldiers and greet Putin.

There was, in fact, no sign of Russia’s impending collapse or of ubiquitous panic within the armed forces and government, and the event largely proceeded as normal.

Putin began his speech by discussing the Second World War, transitioning into the current war as he reminded his soldiers that they are fighting over some of the same ground that generation fought over in Ukraine.

Some of those assembled soldiers, he claimed, had come straight from the fighting in the Donbass region to take part in the parade.

He then argued that Russia had been antagonized by NATO and the United States, and said that the decision to invade was necessary and right.

Putin emphasizes civilizational conflict

From here, Putin began to draw a contrast between the United States and Russia, something that he has done often enough but rarely at a Victory Day parade.

While he voiced appreciation for American and other allied soldiers who fought in the war, Putin also denounced American “exceptionalism,” the idea that the United States is inherently different or even superior to other nations.

Putin made it clear which nation he believes is exceptional; America, he claimed, has fallen into “moral degradation”  while his new Russia has rooted its identity in faith and tradition.

This has been a favorite topic for Putin in recent years. When the US Embassy in Moscow flew a gay pride flag in 2020 Putin joked about the sexual orientation of the embassy staff before emphasizing his own opposition to gay marriage.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of Putin who looked on approvingly from behind him during this portion of the speech, has even claimed that the United States is willing to wage genocidal war against any country that refuses to host a gay pride parade.

By referring to the war as an inescapable confrontation with the morally decayed West, Putin presents the conflict to his people as one that they cannot afford to lose; a conflict as existential as the Second World War was nearly eight decades ago.

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