Saint
Petersburg – President Vladimir Putin on Sunday praised Russia’s navy in an
address at an annual warship parade in Saint Petersburg, which he attended
accompanied by several African leaders.
READ: Mondli Makhanya | Vladimir Putin: The face of evil
The
military display took part as Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine stretches into its
second year and three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow early on Sunday.
The
Russian Navy has played a key role in Moscow’s assault on Ukraine by pummelling
the Western-backed country with ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles,
among other operations.
Without
mentioning Ukraine in his speech, Putin hailed “the brave crews of ships
and submarines”.
“In
the name of Russia, our sailors give all their strength, show true heroism and
fight valiantly, like our great ancestors,” Putin said.
“Today,
Russia is confidently implementing major elements of its national maritime
policy and is consistently building up the power of its navy,” he added.
Forty-five
ships, boats and submarines took part in the parade, along with around 3 000
servicemen, the Kremlin said.
The
former imperial capital hosted a Russia-Africa summit earlier this week.
Several
leaders and representatives of African countries, including Mali and Burkina
Faso, attended the parade on Sunday.
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