‘There’s nothing stronger than love for our Motherland’ Meduza’s brief retelling of Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day speech

I’d like to wish you all a happy Victory Day. Our fathers and grandfathers saved humanity from Nazism. Today, civilization is again at a crossroads; a true war is being waged against our Motherland once more. But we’ve fought back against international terrorism. We’ll defend the residents of the Donbas and ensure our own security. We want a future that is peaceful, free, and stable. Any ideology of superiority is criminal and deadly. The Western elites are pitting people against each other and dividing society while sowing Russophobia and aggressive nationalism and destroying the traditional values that make people human. They forgot what the Nazis’ ambitions of world domination led to and forgot who liberated the people of Europe. The goal of Russia’s enemies is the breakdown of our country. The Ukrainian people have become hostages of a coup d’etat and a bargaining chip for their Western masters. These battles, decisive for the fate of our Motherland, have become sacred. We’re proud of the participants of the special military operation, of those who are fighting on the front line. There’s no work more important right now than your combat work. There’s nothing stronger in the world than love for our Motherland. For Russia! For our valiant armed forces! For victory!

This is a brief summary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the parade marking the 78th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II.