No end in sight for Ukraine war as Vladimir Putin hails Victory Day

Ukrainian servicemen carry an injured comrade on a stretcher after an attack by Russian forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Monday May 9 2022 (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his country’s biggest patriotic holiday to again justify his war in Ukraine but did not declare even a limited victory or signal where the conflict is headed.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Monday, with troops marching in formation and military hardware on display to celebrate the Soviet Union’s role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, as his forces pressed their offensive with few signs of progress.