Putin calls for ‘a world without Nazism’ in chest-thumping speech in Moscow’s packed Luzhniki stadium

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin gave a chest-thumping speech in front of thousands of ‘Z’ flag-waving Russians in Moscow’s World Cup stadium as he hailed the success of Ukraine ‘special operation’ and called for ‘a world without Nazism.’

According to Daily Mail, Putin was dressed in a £10,000 Loro Piana jacket, despite his country’s economy cinging under the weight of Western sanctions. He praised his country’s troops in biblical terms even as they pressed their lethal attacks on Ukrainian cities with shelling and missiles.

“Shoulder to shoulder, they help and support each other,” Putin said of Moscow’s forces in a rare public appearance since the invasion three weeks ago that made Russia an outcast among nations and triggered antiwar protests at home.

“We have not had unity like this for a long time,” he added to cheers from the crowd.

Moscow police said more than 200,000 people were in and around the stadium for the celebration marking the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, seized from Ukraine.

The event included patriotic songs, including a performance of “Made in the U.S.S.R.,” with the opening lines “Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and Moldova, it’s all my country.”

Seeking to portray the war as just, Putin paraphrased the Bible to say of Russia’s troops: “There is no greater love than giving up one’s soul for one’s friends.”

And he continued to insist his actions were necessary to prevent “genocide,” a claim flatly denied by leaders around the globe.

His quoting of the Bible and a Russian admiral of the 18th century reflected his increasing focus in recent years on history and religion as binding forces in Russia’s post-Soviet society.

Video feeds of the event showed a loudly cheering, flag-waving crowd that broke into chants of “Russia!”

Several Telegram channels critical of the Kremlin reported that students and employees of state institutions in a number of regions were ordered by their superiors to attend rallies and concerts marking the Crimea anniversary. Those reports could not be independently verified.

Published on: Friday, March 18, 2022, 11:23 PM IST