Putin shows off Russia’s military might at annual Navy Day celebrations: Warships, nuclear submarines and 3,000 sailors parade through St Petersburg as Vladimir promises to bolster fleet with 30 more vessels
- Vladimir Putin promised 30 more warships during Navy Day on Sunday
- The parade came after three done attacks in Moscow in the early hours
Vladimir Putin showed off Russia’s military might with a host of warships, nuclear submarines and sailors at the country’s annual Navy Day celebrations on Sunday – as he promised to bolster the fleet with 30 more vessels.
Some 45 ships, submarines and other vessels took part in Russia’s annual Navy Day event, a traditional show of military might which takes place in the Gulf of Finland and on the River Neva in St Petersburg.
Around 3,000 navy personnel also took part in a parade on land, the Kremlin said – which came following three drone attacks in Moscow on Sunday morning.
Putin, accompanied by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the head of the Navy, inspected some of the ships from a launch boat on the Neva before making a speech.
‘Today, Russia is confidently implementing the large-scale tasks of our national maritime policy and is consistently building up the strength of our Navy,’ said Putin.
Vladimir Putin today promised to bolster the Russian navy with 30 more ships during the annual Navy Day parade in St Petersburg
The parade showed off the country’s military might with 45 warships (pictured here on the Neva river)
‘This year alone, 30 ships of different classes are being added to the fleet,’ he said.
He made no substantive comments on what Russia calls its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
READ MORE: Kremlin threatens use of nuclear weapons in retaliation for drone strike on Moscow skyscrapers
The Russian president went on to praise the navy, hailing ‘the brave crews of ships and submarines’.
Putin added: ‘In the name of Russia, our sailors give all their strength, show true heroism and fight valiantly, like our great ancestors.’
The scenes on Sunday morning saw Russian warships sail down the Neva River in St Petersburg as Putin vigilantly looked on at his country’s show of naval prowess.
The display came as three drones struck an office building and residential skyscraper in Moscow early on Sunday morning – in an attack that Russia’s defence ministry dubbed ‘an attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime’.
After the attack the Kremlin bluntly threatened the use of nuclear weapons.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and Putin ally, warned there is ‘simply no other way out’ and said that Kyiv should ‘pray to our warriors’ that they do not ‘allow the global nuclear fire to flare up’.
Putin, 2nd left, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, review warships from a boat before the main naval parade
Navy Day is a traditional show of military might which takes place in the Gulf of Finland and on the River Neva in St Petersburg. Pictured: Warships fire a salute in Vladivostok
Some 3,000 sailors also took part, dressed smartly in white uniforms for the important parade
Putin, Yevmenov and Shoigu, right, arrive at The Peter and Paul Fortress to attend the Navy Day parade
Putin went on to praise the navy, hailing ‘the brave crews of ships and submarines’
Four African heads of state attended Navy Day and five other African countries sent representatives, according to the Kremlin. Pictured: Putin and several African leaders
Putin spoke to his defence minister Shoigu, who this week returned from a visit to North Korea
Putin, accompanied by Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov
Naval cadets play drums during the Navy Day parade in Saint Petersburg on Sunday
Putin and Shoigu reviewed the warships before the parade began (pictured)
Spectators take in a selfie against the backdrop of Russian missile corvette Sovetsk sailing along the Neva River
Russia’s Pacific Fleet warships parade off the port city of Vladivostok during the celebrations
The first of two drones penetrating the Russian capital’s much-vaunted air-defences struck at 3.20am.
READ MORE: Fresh humiliation for Putin as he faces poor turnout by African leaders at key Russian summit – days after he quit grain deal
It hit the 50-storey IQ Quarter Tower, part of a business district called Moscow City that also includes elite residential apartments and penthouses.
Nobody was hurt and there was only minor damage to the façade of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
The attack reached the heart of Moscow, close to the White House headquarters of the Russian government.
Four African heads of state attended Navy Day and five other African countries sent representatives, according to the Kremlin.
They were invited after a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg which concluded on Friday at which delegates discussed grain supplies and potential peace talks on Ukraine.
Putin has been attempting to win support for his war against Ukraine in the Russia-Africa summit this week.
He pledged large no-cost shipments of grain to six African nations, although Guinea was not included.
Russian sailors are pictures with warships in the background in St Petersburg
This image distributed by Sputnik agency shows Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the Navy Day parade
Marines show off their skills during the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk
Sailors stand at attention on the deck of a Russian Black Sea Fleet warship
The display in Novorossiysk saw the crowd of sailors stand to attention in celebration
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet warships take part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk
Naval cadets parade during the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk
Marines showed off their skills in Novorossiysk with a mock fight
The promise follows the scrapping of the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, which allowed exports to some of the world’s poorest countries.
‘Our country will continue supporting needy states and regions, in particular, with its humanitarian deliveries. We seek to actively participate in building a fairer system of distribution of resources. We are taking maximum efforts to avert a global food crisis,’ Putin said.
‘I have already said that our country can replace Ukrainian grain, both on a commercial basis and as grant aid to the neediest African countries, more so since we expect another record harvest this year,’ he said.
Russia intends to ship up to 50,000 tons of grain aid to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and Central African Republic in the next three to four months, Putin said.
However, Putin also faced humiliation at the summit, which took place on Thursday and Friday in St Petersburg, due to a poor turnout from African leaders.
Only 17 heads of state took part, fewer than half of the 43 who attended the first in 2019, while 32 other African countries were represented by senior government officials or ambassadors.
The event came after Russia destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River in a drone attack on Monday, targeting a vital export route for Kyiv in an expanding air campaign that Moscow began last week after quitting the Black Sea grain deal.
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