May 9th is a very important day in Russia - it is Victory Day, the day that Russian forces defeated the Nazis in World War II.
Here we see Russians carrying portraits of their relatives - WWII soldiers - as they take part in the Immortal Regiment march on Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2022.
World authorities have been concerned for some time that Russian President Putin would take advantage of this day to either announce an escalation in the war in Ukraine or announce Russia's victory in the country.
There has also been speculation that Putin would officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9th, which would allow him to fully mobilize forces and conscript more troops into the fight.
Naturally, all eyes and ears were on Russian President Vladimir Putin today when he addressed the motherland and gave his annual address on May 9th to celebrate Victory Day.
However, despite the rumors, Putin's Victory Day speech wasn't nearly as shocking or damaging as many thought it would be. Instead of a major announcement, Putin's speech was mainly a justification for the war in Ukraine.
Naturally, the main message that the Russian people are receiving continues to be that the "special operation" is going according to plan.
And the Russian propaganda is effective since, according to Levada Center polls, 68% of Russians support the war and believe that is successful so far.
In addition, the Levada Center polls also show that Putin's popularity has increased from 60% to 82% since invading Ukraine.
This data must not be taken too seriously, though, since the Russian people are constantly being fed propaganda, and dissent is not tolerated.
In his speech to the Russian people, CNN reports that Putin linked the war in Ukraine to the victory the country saw in 1945 while at the same time blaming Nato and the West for rejecting security demands.
Surrounded by those in the highest ranks of the Russian military, Putin referred to Ukrainians as fascists and once again repeated his claim that neo-Nazis run the Ukrainian government.
Putin told the public that defending the motherland has always been sacred, referring to the eastern region in Ukraine, which is now Russia's focus of attack.
According to the BBC, Putin encouraged his troops, saying, "Today you are fighting for our people in Donbas, for the security of Russia, our homeland."
Putin also took the opportunity to make unfound claims against Nato and Ukraine. Per the BBC, Putin said in his May 9th speech: "They were preparing a punishing operation in Donbas to intrude on our historic lands."
Putin continued, "In Kyiv, they were saying they might get nuclear weapons, and Nato started exploring the lands close to us, and that became an obvious threat to us and our borders."
The ceremony also included a minute of silence for all fallen soldiers, including those who lost their lives in Ukraine.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (pictured) is rumored to have received a lot of flack for the high number of Russian troops who have died in Ukraine so far.
Despite all the pageantry, the military parade was modest compared to those of recent years.
The BBC reported that according to Russian news agencies, 11,000 trops and 131 armored vehicles took part in the event.
Russia's widely celebrated Armata tanks were also seen. However, they are not yet considered combat-ready and have thus not been used in the war in Ukraine.
Pictured: Russian T-72B3M tanks parade through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade.
Despite all the praise the motherland was receiving at the Red Square in Moscow, there are media reports of small acts of protest. The BBC reported that the TV guides on smart televisions were hacked with a message saying, "on your hands is the blood of thousands of Ukrainians."
In addition, the home page of Lenta, a Russian news website, was also hacked with ten different stories, including, "Russia leaves the corpses of its soldiers in Ukraine."
Putin's speech ended with the words, "Glory to our armed forces - for Russia, for victory, hoorah," to which all those gathered at the event responded with a cheer.
