Moscow, May 9 -- As Russia marked the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War with a tightly staged parade on Red Square, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday drew a direct line between the Soviet Union's struggle against Nazi Germany and Russia's ongoing confrontation with Ukraine, which he described as part of a broader conflict with a unified Western bloc.
Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than 25 years, has consistently framed the Soviet victory in World War II as a foundation for national identity and a guiding tool to mobilize support for his leadership and the war in Ukraine.
In this year's address at Victory Day celebrations on Red Square, he again invoked that legacy to frame current military actions, po...