How Putin uses the USSR's victory in World War II to rally support for him and the war in Ukraine
Associated Press
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FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, holds a portrait of his father, also named Vladimir, as he walks with others carrying pictures of their relatives who fought in World War II, during celebrations in Red Square, in Moscow on May 9, 2019. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)FILE - Russian troops march during the Victory Day parade celebrating the end of World War II in Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with World War II veterans prior to a Victory Day parade in Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2019. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)FILE - A Russian soldier and young woman share a tender moment as soldiers wait to attend the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2024. (AP Photo, File)Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinpin attend a signing ceremony after their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 8, 2025, ahead of celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during the World War II. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
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FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, holds a portrait of his father, also named Vladimir, as he walks with others carrying pictures of their relatives who fought in World War II, during celebrations in Red Square, in Moscow on May 9, 2019. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
