As expected, on May 9 in Moscow's Red Square, the Kremlin did everything it could to rewrite history and justify its current aggression against Ukraine. In fact, the Kremlin's disinformation tactics had been implemented weeks and months in advance.
On the day itself, one of the undeniable central elements of Moscow's propaganda spectacle on Red Square was Putin's address. His speech was full of disinformation, historical revisionism and false equivalences, or another telling example of “Kremlin Newspeak“, writes EUvsDisinfo. So, let's look at what Putin said and what his words actually mean:
What Putin said: We faithfully preserve the memory of these historic, triumphant events.
What he said: We shamelessly distort history in order to deny our participation in starting World War II.
What Putin said: We remember the lessons of World War II.
What he said: We will continue to use the memory of World War II to justify Russia's current aggression.
What Putin said: Representatives of different nationalities who will forever remain Russian soldiers in world history.
What he said: We will continue to erase other national identities so that Russia can monopolize victory over Nazism.
What Putin said: Russia has been and will be an indestructible barrier to Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism.
What he said: I mix Nazism with the imaginary “Russophobia“ so that we can call anyone who opposes Russian aggression a Nazi.
What Putin said: Truth and justice are on our side.
What he said: We will continue to lie and distort history with impunity.
What Putin said: The entire country, society and people support the participants in the special military operation.
What he said: If I tell you that you support [the special military operation], then you support it. My word is the norm.
What Putin said: Evacuated people found their second home in Central Asia and Transcaucasia.
What he meant: We resettled people in neighboring countries that we had previously occupied, and carried out “Russification“ under the guise of war.
What Putin said: We honor every veteran of the Great Patriotic War [what Russia calls World War II].
What he meant: We threw almost a million people into the meat grinder of the “special military operation“ in their name.
What Putin said: We will give these traditions, this great legacy [of World War II] the greatest place in our hearts.
What he said: Don't think about how miserable life is in Russia today, dull this feeling with nostalgia for the past.
What Putin said: We highly value the contribution of the soldiers of the Allied armies to our common struggle.
What he said: I will do everything possible to belittle the role of the Allies in the victory over Nazism.
What Putin said: Glory to the victorious people!
What he said: Glory to me!