RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said today that the country’s military offence in Ukraine was an inevitable response to Western policies and a necessary move to ward off aggression.

Speaking at the Victory Day parade on Red Square to mark the Soviet defeat of fascism, Mr Putin compared the Red Army’s fight against the Nazis to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

He claimed that the fight was for the security of Russia but did not provide any new assessments of progress in the war.

Mr Putin said that Russia was under threat by Western countries and Nato, accusing them of preparing an attack on Crimea and other of Russia’s “historic lands.”

He said: “Last year, we suggested to Nato countries that we sign a security treaty, but they did not want to hear us, they had completely different plans.”

Addressing Russian soldiers, he said: “You are fighting for your Motherland, its future, so that no one will forget the lessons of World War II and there will be no place in the world for hangmen, executioners and the Nazis.

“The death of every soldier and officer is painful for us. The state will do everything to take care of these families.”

Meanwhile, intense fighting continued in the east of Ukraine and the vital Black Sea port of Odesa in the south faced fresh bombardments.

Russia also pushed forward with attempts to eradicate Ukraine’s defence at a steel plant in Mariupol.

A number of anti-war protesters were detained in Russia during the parade and the editors of a pro-Kremlin media outlet revolted by briefly publishing stories criticising Mr Putin and the invasion.

In Warsaw, anti-war protesters splattered Russia’s ambassador to Poland with what appeared to be red paint as he arrived at a cemetery to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in his own Victory Day address that the country will eventually defeat the Russians.

“Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine,” he said in a video.

“We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.”

More than 60 people were feared dead over the weekend after Russian bombardment flattened a Ukrainian school being used as a shelter in Bilohorivka, an eastern village, Ukrainian officials said.