"Putin's Victory Day Speech Amid Ongoing Ukraine Conflict"

Russia celebrated Victory Day with a scaled-down parade in Moscow's Red Square under tight security, while President Putin accused Western nations of stoking conflict and treating Ukraine as a "bargaining chip." The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, criticized Russia's defense leaders for "treason" and "destruction," claiming his troops had "no ammunition" and that Russian troops were fleeing their positions in Ukraine. Meanwhile, rocket and mortar attacks near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine have sparked international concern, with Russian authorities preparing to evacuate about 3,100 staff members from areas in and around the facility this week.