President Vladimir Putin denounced NATO as an active participant in the conflict against Moscow during a speech in Red Square on May 9, 2024 [1].
This rhetoric signals a significant escalation in how the Kremlin characterizes Western support for Ukraine, moving from describing aid as provocative to defining the alliance as a direct combatant. By linking the current war to the 1941 fight against Nazism, Putin seeks to provide a historical and moral justification for the ongoing military operation to a domestic audience.
Speaking on the 85th anniversary of Victory Day [1], Putin said the "entire NATO bloc is now an active participant in the conflict against Moscow" [2]. He further described the alliance as an aggressive, anti-Russian entity that supports the war in Ukraine [3].
Putin said the Russian government will not allow NATO-backed aggression to prevail. He emphasized that the alliance has transitioned from a peripheral supporter to a direct participant in the war [2]. The address took place during the traditional commemorations in Moscow, which mark the end of World War II in Europe.
Reports regarding the scale of the event varied. Some sources indicated the parade was scaled back and featured no military hardware [1], while other reports suggested it was the largest parade since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine [4].
Throughout the speech, the Russian president framed the "Special Military Operation" as a direct extension of the struggle against Nazism that defined the Soviet experience during the 1940s [3]. This framing aligns with long-standing Kremlin narratives that portray current Ukrainian leadership as heirs to fascist ideologies.
“"The entire NATO bloc is now an active participant in the conflict against Moscow."”
By explicitly labeling NATO as a combatant, Putin is preparing the Russian public for a prolonged conflict and potentially justifying more aggressive countermeasures against alliance members. The invocation of the 85th anniversary of Victory Day serves to tie current geopolitical goals to Russian national identity and the historical victory over Nazi Germany, making any compromise appear as a betrayal of that legacy.
