Vladimir Putin and his “utterly complicit” generals are “hijacking” the memory of Russian troops who helped defeat the Nazis in the Second World War, the UK has said.
The suggestion came in response to a speech by Mr Putin on Monday at a military parade in Moscow to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. In his remarks, the Russian president sought to cast his invasion of Ukraine in a positive light, suggesting the Kremlin’s troops were “defending the motherland”.
However, the UK defence secretary Ben Wallace denied this, saying Russian generals were only “inflicting needless suffering in the service of lowly gangsterism”.
Mr Putin was also spouting “fairytale claims” when he falsely alleged that Nato had been preparing to attack Russian territory, Mr Wallace added.
The British defence secretary’s comments follow reports that 60 people died after Russia bombed a school in the eastern Ukrainian village of Bilohorivka.
