Posted on 05/09/2008 10:37:50 AM PDT by freerepublic_or_die
Russia showcased its military might and youthful new president to the world Friday, as heavy tanks and missile launchers rumbled across Red Square in a Victory
In a nationally broadcast speech two days after his inauguration, President Dmitry Medvedev avoided the bellicose rhetoric of his mentor and predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who drew parallels between United States and Nazi Germany during last year's parade.
However, in his speech marking victory over Adolf Hitler's Germany, the 42-year-old Medvedev said the history of World War II demonstrated that military conflicts are rooted in "irresponsible ambitions which prevail over interests of nations and entire continents."
"We must not allow contempt for the norms of international law," he said, in what sounded like veiled criticism of the United States and its Western allies.
The Kremlin has consistently criticized both the U.S.-led war in Iraq and wide Western recognition of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Russia-allied Serbia as flagrant violations of international legal norms.
A stern-faced Putin, who was named prime minister Thursday, hovered at Medvedev's shoulder on the podium hiding the mausoleum of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin. His face was prominently shown in TV broadcasts — an image that played to the wide belief the former president will continue calling the shots.
Medvedev, his country's third post-Soviet president, hailed the rebuilding Russian military, saying it can "give a reliable protection to the motherland."
"Our army and navy are getting stronger. Just as Russia itself, they are gaining strength," he said.
More than 100 combat vehicles, including intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, rolled across the cobblestone Red Square and strategic bombers and fighter jets roared overhead in the first such display in 18 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Ask eastern europe how they feel about Russia’s beliefs in “international law”.
Expensive oil and Barak as our next President. Russia smells a return with new $$ to rebuild its military and a cowardly fellow-traveler as our next President.
Imagine the US doing this?
Anyone else notice that the old hammer and sickle is still on display? They are doing it to save money (/sarcasm).
The devolution of the USSR allowed the leaders to switch from a failed economic system to a better one, a hybrid, and greatly magnify their influence in the UN by having each “Republic” admitted as a separate country.
However, they sometimes have a little trouble keeping the chickens in the coop and China’s rise has diminished them somewhat.
You said it. You’ve got hard-core Bolshevist idealists making out like the bandits they are selling oil at decadent-West free market prices.
I keep seeing the headlines on this and the ‘nuclear missile’ on display.
Am I confused? I don’t see the problem. Their country, their parade, they get to show off their stuff.
(Now when they march this stuff through the streets of Georgia, the country not the state, then I have a problem.)
Open to correction,
Gulfbreeze
Why aren’t we?
I mean we do do some of this. We have tanks in parades sometimes. We have Air Force jet flyovers.
What’s the difference?
This is not at all any attempt to criticize the Russians for parading whatever they it is they want to display. It's the political intrigue and the message the Russians are sending to the West in the form of the re-appearance of military apparatus long absent that is the very gist for the issue and not as a result of any effort to critize their right to parade whatever they please.
Parading nuclear missiles about? Come on.
Made in Nizhniy Tagil, just like my son. :D
Holy krapsky!
And... this is brand new footage? Red stars, Lenin, hammer & sickle, that awful goose stepping, etc.?
Did they forget the mobile nuclear rockets?
It’s deja vu all over again, y’all. Except not even Stalin had an energy stranglehold over the European countries.
“Vodka was invented by G-d to keep the Russians from taking over the world!”
;^)
Wow. Spectacular imagery. Thanks for posting them.
The US should hold a military parade too. Imagine M1s rolling in front of the whitehouse while F-22s and B2s fly overhead.
we don’t need a parade, the world knows. Pootie is just barking. Otherwise he would have helped the Serbs, when he had the perfect opportunity to reassert Russia’s power and gain a foothold in the Balkans. Now, save for Serbia, everyone in the Balkans is leaning towards US. Putin just said a few nice words, sent some expired food and essentially stole their energy company.
US is not scared of Russia, everything they have is based on commodities and their oil infrastructure is not up to speed anyway. I remember reading that their fields are from soviet times, and will soon run out unless they start drilling. State run companies are not known for investing in future exploration and he threw out everyone else...
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I disagree in the sense that we are doing the same to “establish the conditions that lead to confidence in America’s Army and its readiness to conduct operations in peacetime, conflict and war.” - Army Public Affiars
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