Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian forces in Ukraine were fighting for the future of their motherland, in his annual address marking victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
Despite rumours he would make a major announcement his speech stuck largely to defending Russia’s invasion.
He tied the war in Ukraine to victory in 1945, blaming the West and Nato for rejecting security demands.
Almost 10 weeks into the invasion, civilian casualties continue to mount.
Some 60 civilians are feared dead in an eastern town in Ukraine, after a Russian attack on a school where people were trying to escape bombardment.
Flanked by military top brass, Russia’s leader spoke of Ukrainians as fascists, repeating his claim that the democratic government in Kyiv was run by neo-Nazis.
