Ukraine – Russian war LIVE: Victory Day parade shows monster Vladimir Putin ‘mirroring’ Adolf Hitler

Pentagon: ‘Indications’ Ukrainians are being moved against their will

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby has revealed today that the US has seen indications that some Ukrainians are being moved to Russia against their will.

He condemned the actions as “unconscionable.” 

Those in Ukraine have made similar claims throughout the war, with some alleging children are among those being moved across the border.

Biden signs measure speeding up US weapons deliveries to Ukraine

President Joe Biden on Monday eased the acceleration of US weapons shipments to Ukraine through a law based on a World War II measure helping US allies to defeat Nazi Germany.

Biden signed the Lend-lease Act in the Oval Office, saying the United States supports Ukrainians’ “fight to defend their country and their democracy against Putin’s brutal war.”

Acknowledging the billions of dollars already spent by the United States, Biden said “caving to aggression is even more costly.”

David Miliband: Putin’s Victory Day address was ‘downbeat’ and ‘indeterminate’

David Miliband, President and Chief Executive of the International Rescue Committee spoke to Sky News about the nature of Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day speech earlier.

He said many people had thought the 9 May parade would give us an insight into Mr Putin’s war plans – but “my immediate reflection is that we haven’t got that”.

Mr Miliband added: “This wasn’t a significant speech in terms of announcement, it has been described as downbeat… as ineffectual.

“And I think that speaks to this fundamental point that has emerged over the past 10 weeks really, which is that what President Putin expected to be a swift and victorious invasion with the installation of a new government has not come to pass.

“That obviously creates enormous danger on the ground, but it also means that the ability of the Ukrainian government to uphold their national sovereignty and their own will about their future has been asserted in a way completely contrary to the original invasion aims.

“Perhaps that explains the downbeat and rather indeterminate nature of the speech today.”

Russia hits out after diplomat covered in ‘red paint’

Earlier we reported that the Russian ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreev, was covered in what appears to be red paint by a crowd of protesters in Warsaw. 

Crowds around him chanted “fascists” as the red liquid was thrown while he was trying to lay flowers at the cemetery of Soviet soldiers on Russia’s Victory Day.

The Russian foreign ministry has since condemned the action.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says: “Neo-Nazis have once again shown their face – and it is bloody.”

She went on to accuse the West of “set[ting] a course for the reincarnation of fascism”.

UN Human Rights Council to meet Thursday on Ukraine

The UN Human Rights Council announced it will convene a special session on Thursday to address alleged worsening Russian violations in its war in Ukraine.

More than 50 countries on Monday backed Kyiv’s request for an extraordinary meeting of the UN’s top rights body to examine “the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression”.

Yevheniia Filipenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said the move would send a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he insisted Russia’s war in Ukraine was necessary to defend the “Motherland”.

“Together, we are sending another strong message to Putin and his clique of war criminals: you are isolated as never before,” Filipenko said in a video message on Twitter.

“We want to see the UN take practical steps to address Russia’s violation of human rights in Ukraine and the war crimes which it commits daily against our people.”

Mariupol steel plant pounded by tanks

Ukraine’s defence ministry has claimed that Mariupol’s Azovstal steel works is being pounded by Russian tanks and artillery.

Russia has declared victory in Mariupol, but the sprawling steel works remains under the control of Ukrainian fighters.

“The enemy continues to blockade our units in the area of the Azovstal factory, and is conducting storming operations with the support of tank and artillery fire,” defence ministry spokesman Oleksander Motuzyanyk told an online briefing.

Former Ukrainian leader: ‘This is a defeat march’ not Victory Day

Petro Poroshenko, the former president of Ukraine, spoke to Sky News earleir today following the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

He described the festivities as a “defeat March”, adding: “This is another evidence that [Vladimir] Putin is completely crazy.

“He lives in an absolutely parallel world, a different universe.”

Mr Poroshenko then addressed Mr Putin directly, saying: “This is Ukrainian land, and this is nothing to do with you and we hate you.

“He said that in reality he is opposing NATO. Mr Putin, NATO is for security of the member states and they do not oppose you, it is you that is trying to attack everybody including the NATO states.”

Putin holds portrait of his father

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a portrait of his father as he took part in the Immortal Regiment march on Victory Day in Moscow, which marks the end of World War Two.

His father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, was a war veteran.

In Saint Petersburg (not pictured), there was also an Immortal Regiment march.

Mystery after Putin’s Doomsday nuclear plane cancelled

A FLYOVER by Vladimir Putin’s Doomsday nuclear war command post plane was today mysteriously cancelled.

The plane was meant to be in a 77 strong fly-past over Red Square as part of the Victory Day parade but it was cancelled with bad weather given as reason – despite there being clear skies in Moscow.

Questions have now been raised about the real motive for the emitting such a key part of the traditional part of the annual Victory Day celebrations.

Russian military analyst told the New York Times “there cannot be hurricanes all across the country” adding that bad weather “doesn’t look plausible” as an explanation.

The Doomsday plane had been due to take part in the annual Victory Day military parade on Red Square marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, presided over by the Russian tyrant. 

Ukraine calls for UN to hold special session on war

Ukraine has asked the UN Human Rights Council to hold a special session on the conflict with Russia, according to a letter seen by the Reuters news agency.

“The current situation requires the urgent attention of the Council in view of the recent reports of war crimes and large-scale violations in the town of Bucha and other liberated areas of the country and ongoing reports of mass casualties in the city of Mariupol,” Yevheniia Filipenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, wrote.

The note was dated 9 May and signed by 55 countries.

EU chief to meet Orban amid Russia oil ban row

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen headed to Hungary today to meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is holding up Brussels’ plans for an embargo on Russian oil.

“They will discuss issues related to European security of energy supply,” von der Leyen’s spokesman Eric Mamer said.

Landlocked Hungary relies on Russian oil from a single pipeline and Orban has warned he cannot approve the European Commission’s proposed sixth package of EU sanctions against Moscow.

Update from Mariupol

Ukraine has said today that Russia is continuing its attack on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol with tank and artillery fire.

“The enemy continues to blockade our units in the area of the Azovstal factory, and is conducting storming operations with the support of tank and artillery fire,” a Ukrainian defence ministry spokesperson said.

“The possibility of a renewal of its bombardment from Tu-22 M3 bombers is not excluded,” they added.

The evacuation of civilians from the besieged steelworks was recently completed.

Mexico’s president urges for a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement

Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said today in a regular news conference that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine would be the best option to lower inflation.

“The most important thing would be for a peace agreement to be reached between Russia and Ukraine.

“That would help a lot, because that is what precipitated the economic crisis,” said Lopez Obrador.

Macron warns Russia’s ‘humiliation’ won’t serve peace

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Russia and Ukraine would have to come to a negotiated truce and that peace efforts would not be served by Russia’s “humiliation”.

“Tomorrow we’ll have a peace to build, let’s never forget that,” he told reporters. “We will have to do this with Ukraine and Russia around the table.

“The terms of the discussion and negotiation will be set by Ukraine and Russia, but that will not be done through… the exclusion of one another, nor even in their humiliation.”

Macron: It could take ‘several decades’ for Ukraine to join EU

The French president Emmanuel Macron has said it would likely take “several decades” for Ukraine to join the EU.

He made the remark during an event in Strasbourg, in which he expressed support for a new form of “political European community”, which would allow countries outside the bloc to share in “European core values”.

Marcon said: “Even if we grant it candidate status tomorrow, we all know perfectly well that the process to allow it to join would take several years indeed, probably several decades”.

Explained: What is Russia’s Victory Day?

The day celebrates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. 

Today, the celebrations included a military parade in Moscow and more than two dozen Russian cities.

Usually, the parade involves nearly 65,000 people, 2,400 types of weapons and military equipment and more than 460 planes, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. 

Russian president Vladimir Putin also gave several speeches about WWII – or the Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Russia.

News you may have missed

• Sixty people are feared dead after Putin’s troops bombed a school in Ukraine where survivors were sheltering.
• Putin’s mental health is “bad” and the threat he could launch nuclear weapons is “very real”, an oligarch close to the tyrant has revealed.
• Volodymr Zelensky yesterday commemorated Victory Day by promising besieged Ukraine would see a new dawn
• A missile mountain lays bare the scale of Russia’s murderous bombardment in Ukraine.
• Putin has been stunned to discover his lover is pregnant again, it was reported in Moscow yesterday.

Putin watches military parade with BLANKET over his legs

VLADIMIR Putin sat watching his meagre military parade with a thick green blanket across his legs as rumours continue to swirl around his health.

The Russian president was one of the only attendees using the covering as he sat amongst elderly World War 2 veterans while Russian celebrated Victory Day.

Putin was seated wearing a buttoned up black puffer jacket with a victory ribbon tied his chest as he watched soldiers and military vehicles roll by in Moscow’s famous Red Square.

But across his legs was a thick green blanket, which had been left for him on his seat when he first arrived at the viewing platform.

It is believed to have been around 9C at the time.

Rumours persist about the Russian leader’s declining physical and mental health – with persistent reports he is suffering Parkinson’s and is due to undergo cancer treatment in the coming months.

Russian Ambassador to Poland drenched with red paint

Russian Ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, was pictured drenched in red pain during a protest.

Andreev was seen laying a wreath at a ceremony at the Soviet soldier war mausoleum in Warsaw, Poland today – on the day of the 77th anniversary of the 1945 Soviet victory against Nazi Germany. 

Anti-war protesters drenched the Russian ambassador to Poland with blood-red paint earlier today.

Critics respond to Putin’s Victory Day speech

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Kremlin critic who was once Russia’s richest man, is among those who have strongly condemned this year’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.

The exiled businessman said Russia, had now ‘become fascist itself’.

Read the tweet in full below:

UK: Putin could resort to ramping up ‘brutality’ to win war

The UK’s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said that Vladimir Putin could still use “brutality” to win the war in Ukraine after having failed with its “battle-winning components” of technology, leadership and intelligence.

Speaking at the Defence of Europe conference at King’s College London (KCL), Mr Wallace said: “There is one component he still has in his back pocket, which we should really worry about, which is brutality.”

He continued: “If you win your war by killing, murdering, raping, bombing civilian territories, breaching all human rights, all Geneva Conventions, corruption, and that becomes the battle-winning component, the message that sends around the world to other adversaries around the world is incredibly dangerous.

“That you don’t need to have all the best kit or the best training or appropriate rule of law, you just need to be able to be more brutal than the other person and more prepared to destroy everything in your path.”

Afternoon, Milica Cosic logging on. I’ll be bringing you the latest news and updates until 10pm tonight.

‘Very possible that Ukraine will break the Russian army’

Speaking in London, Ben Wallace says: “We all have highly complex weapons that, funny enough, don’t take a couple of days to replace, it can take months. Once you fire them all in the way Russia has done, they have a real challenge.”

He says Putin will find trying to replace those weapons “incredibly hard”.

Wallace added: “It is not inconceivable that large superpowers, as such, as he thinks he is, lose on the battlefield.

“It is very possible that Ukraine will break the Russian army.”

Putin’s ruthless ‘death squad’ has stormed Eastern Ukraine, sources claim

VLADIMIR Putin’s ruthless “death squad” has allegedly been spotted entering Ukraine, sources have claimed.

Hundreds of enforcers known as the Wagner Group are said to have been deployed on the country’s eastern front – sparking fresh fears for the safety of civilians.

According to insiders, the private army – entrusted by Putin – have been drafted in to boost Russia’s faltering assault.

The savage operatives are thought to have one of the world’s worst reputations for war crimes.

A source told the Mirror: “The presence of the Wagner Group in large numbers is a worrying development because they are so unaccountable.

“The only possible reason they are there is to be used as a force that can do what it likes and it won’t be seen as the responsibility of the Russian regime.”

Elon Musk fans concerned after billionaire writes chilling post on Twitter

ELON Musk concerned fans after he wrote a chilling post on Twitter about dying “under mysterious circumstances.”

Musk took to Twitter and said, “If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya.”

People took to the comment section to address the world’s richest man’s concerning post.

“No, you will not die. The world needs you to reform,” one user said in the comments.

“Why would you even play like that?” another worried fan said.

This comes just minutes after Musk fired off a couple of tweets about apparently receiving a chilling message in the Russian media.