Vladimir Putin delivered a speech on May 9, 2022 on Red Square during the Victory Parade, and Vladimir Zelensky recorded a video message on the deserted Khreshchatyk, surrounded by anti-tank hedgehogs.

The Russian President said that the attack on Ukraine was a necessity. “Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression,” Putin said.

The President of Ukraine, in turn, predicted a victory for Ukraine. “On February 24, Russia launched an offensive. An attack on the same rake. We survived different wars. But they all had the same ending,” the President of Ukraine said.