Putin scolded the West for failing to roll back perceived NATO expansion and meet Russian demands for 'security guarantees.'
"Russia called on the West for an honest dialogue, to search for reasonable, compromise solutions, to take into account each other's interests. All in vain. The NATO countries did not want to hear us, which means that in fact they had completely different plans," Putin said."The danger grew every day. Russia gave a pre-emptive rebuff to aggression. It was a forced, timely and the only right decision. The decision of a sovereign, strong, independent country.
"I think he is believing what he wants to believe — a slight shine of desperation," U.K. defense secretary Ben Wallace said after Putin's remarks."But let me put on the record categorically: NATO, Britain, eastern Europe is not planning to invade Russia and never has done." According to the official formation plan published in Krasnaya Zvezda military newspaper, 131 vehicles took part in the parade on Red Square. By comparison, last year's parade saw around 190 vehicles, while the 75th anniversary marking the end of what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War was nearly double in size, with 234 vehicles on display.
An open-source intelligence analyst Oliver Alexander noted that the armored vehicles used by the Russian National Guard were also missing this year.
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