“SACRED DUTY”
Putin has long said that the Soviet Union and primarily Russia were the main victors in WWII and on Friday called his nation the “heirs of victors”.
Olga Zhuravleva, whose father and grandfather fought in WWII, decried US President Donald Trump for saying the war was “mostly accomplished because of us.”
“Complete nonsense,” she said, adding that she feels “great” pride for her country.
The Soviet Union lost more than 20 million civilians in WWII – including Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Central Asians and other peoples.
Under 25 years of Putin’s rule, the Kremlin has promoted a patriotic vision of WWII – praising military feats, while glossing over the Soviet-Nazi Pact and the 1939 invasion of Poland.
Some spectators in Moscow expressed pride at this year’s parade.
“I was delighted,” 65-year-old university lecturer Elena Gogoleva told AFP.
“Watching the parade is a sacred duty for me. It’s good that we are not alone,” she said.
