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Putin: "West was preparing to invade our land"-UPDATED

09 May 2022 12:06 (UTC +04:00)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia's intervention in Ukraine had been necessary because the West was "preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea," APA's Moscow correspondent reports.

"Nato is actively pursuing our territory. That is absolutely unacceptable to us. We are talking about neo-Nazi's in Ukraine that the US and its partners are working with," he said.

“They were openly preparing another punitive operation in [the] Donbas, to an aggression against our historical lands, including Crimea,” Mr Putin claimed.

"Ukraine is receiving the most modern weaponry from Nato. The decision for this special military operation was forced and was the only correct decision."

Mr Putin is presiding over a parade in Moscow's Red Square of troops, tanks, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles, making a speech that could offer clues to the future of the war.

You can watch the parade and listen to commentary from the Telegraph’s defence and security editor Dominic Nicholls and deputy foreign editor Theo Merz at the top of this live blog.

11:40

The Russian president continued his address to the parade, saying the whole nation has a "duty" to preserve the memory of the Second World War generation, who allowed the Soviet people to emerge victorious, APA's Moscow correspondent reports.

"Russia has always supported a system of equal global security. In recent years, we have tried to enter into an honest dialogue, but people did not want to listen to us. They had different plans, and we see that now," he said.

"Nato is actively pursuing our territory. That is absolutely unacceptable to us. We are talking about neo-Nazi's in Ukraine that the US and its partners are working with."

"Ukraine is receiving the most modern weaponry from Nato. The decision for this special military operation was forced and was the only correct decision."

"The US spoke after the fall of the Soviet Union about exceptionalism, but we are a different country with different character. We have respect for all people and cultures."