commemorates the soviet victory over nazi germany during world war ii. it is also really a memorial to those killed during the war. in all, the soviet union lost 27 million people, more than any other nation. but under putin's leadership, victory day has taken on a new edge, serving as a showcase as we have senior after year of russia's military power, russia's military might. as we look at these live pictures from red square, i want to bring in max there, the parade taking place right now. the bureau chief for the financial times, and he joins me now live from latvia. max, as you and i talk, we are looking at the parade in red square in moscow. clearly, as we have seen time and time again, you know, really images of russia's military might and military power. you've covered these many times, i believe. give me a sense of what the meaning of this for the audience at home, but also abroad here. >> well, this is really part of this cult of soviet victory in world war ii that putin has used as really the ideological cornerstone of the modern russian state that he's built. he's elevated the soviet victory in world war ii, which is obviously a traumatic event given the number of people that died, as a national religion. it is only really under putin that we've seen the parade performed with the really enormous pomp that we're seeing right now, even for much of the soviet era they didn't do this with quite the extent with all the nuclear missiles every year parading down the main street in moscow. this is a message both to the russian people that they are a strong victorious power, and there is a slogan that you hear a lot in russia. we can do it again. and this is also a message to the west, that as putin has said repeatedly in the last few months, if you try to interfere with russia's plans in ukraine, the consequences could be terrible. >> and i just want to listen in to this parade. let's have a quick listen. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and, max, of course, this commemorates you were saying the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii. as we look at live images from red square. the irony not lost on anyone in ukraine. what do you think we are -- we are expecting to hear, what we could possibly hear from president putin today? >> well, one thing that a lot of people, including officials in ukraine were expecting as recently as a few weeks ago, russia would try to hurry up and finish the invasion of ukraine in some sort of form so they could declare victory by today that. would mean capturing the donbas region in the east, taking moreland in southeastern ukraine, odessa and other territories around crimea. right now it doesn't even look like they've done that. they haven't captured the donbas. there is large territory including odessa, the major city in the south that still remain in ukrainian hands. there are increasing fears putin could use this to declare some sort of broader mobilization. we've seen on russian state television talk shows that run basically around the clock as this really frothy war mongering atmosphere on state tv saying that actually, you know, the reason that we didn't win in three days like we thought we were going to is because we're not fighting as ukraine. this is really world war 3 against the west. this happens to be the ukrainians have been sent to be used as canon fodder against russians. and so the fear is putin could use this to announce some sort of broader mobilization and call up more reserves because as things stand if you talk to military experts, they can't keep up the fighting on the ground for that much longer. >> you know, as we look at these pictures coming to us live from red square in moscow, max, i'm almost thinking how much this is an exercise, a p.r. exercise for soldiers really, for russian troops who have suffered, as we've reported, from low morale. >> absolutely. there are supposedly troops from the invasion actually taking part in this parade and some of the other parades around the country at the moment. but i think, i think also this is done not just for their consumption, but really for the whole country's consumption. what we've seen under putin, it's really particularly stressed today, this is much less a holiday about remembrance, which is ukraine where you are, after the annexation of crimea, they move the date, they change the symbols. it becomes much more a grief and remembrance holiday. this has become a force for that. in russia there is this wonderful russian word, which you could translate as victory derangement syndrome, which this really captures as kind of a patriotic overdrive this holiday is used to send russians into. and when you see the nuclear missiles proudly driving down the street and there is only one message you can get from that. >> and, max, i mean, we have seen time and time again in the last few weeks really the west and its allies getting together and sanctioning russia in various ways. has that had a dent at all on the russian economy? because looking at these pictures, this is an image that putin obviously wants to show the world, of strength, of military might, very different from, of course, what we've been hearing in terms of the sanctions, whether they're having a bite in the country economically. >> well, they actually are absolutely having a bite. if you believe what putin says, he doesn't seem to think that's the case. he said repeatedly, the soviet union was isolated from the international economy and they did fine. that's the vision he has. the problem is, this is something the economists around him and his administration know very well, there are some very competent on the economic side working there. in today's globalized interconnected world, it's much harder to survive. even though there's been this big drive for import substitution, it's still a real struggle to build everything completely yourself because russia doesn't produce microchips. russia has its own plane the sukhoi super jet that can't run without these engines joint produced with france. so they can't even build any more of their own planes at the moment. they can't import servers which are important for keeping everything from mobile internet to industrial machinery running. so it may be that we don't see the full impact, which there's some estimates it could be more than 10%, maybe even 15% loss to gdp this year, but a lot of people in the business sector in moscow who do know how bad this is still going to be, the worst is yet to come, the ones that i speak to they are very much hoping this ends soon and the sanctions roll back. they don't think russia can go like this forever. putin does seem to think. >> yeah, max, thank you very much for taking time to join us. very important perspective there. michael in the last hour joins me now. let's listen in for one second. [ speaking foreign language ] ♪ >> michael joins me now. michael, of course, this military parade is to get a sense, this happens every year. victory day has been happening for years. i've been at cnn and i've been covering this. but this has new added significance this year, isn't it? >> sure, and the fact those nuclear weapons are being paraded so brazenly which is chilling. president putin has threatened to use them, his saber rattling. something that sends a chill down the spine of western leaders. that's why you don't have troops on the ground. the other thing, other kind of soft weapon the west has been using, are the sanctions that max referred to. >> yeah. >> and i think those will take a long time to really make a heavy impact. the economist has been describing the sanctions as a flush word. the russian economy is actually bouncing back. of course, there have been things, problems like inflation and firms having problems paying wages, but on the most part, i don't think they've been as effective as western leaders had hoped. >> the reuuble is doing quite well. they are cropping the top, which says a lot. these images here, as ukraine looks at these images, no doubt sends a chill down the spine of many. what is the mood, what is the sense from your vantage point in ukraine? >> i know a lot of people, locals, foreigners have left cities like lviv, to go over the border to smaller cities in fear of more missile strikes. and, again, i think that as long as mr. putin has the ability to send those long-range weapons, there's still quite a bit in stock. they are quite expensive, but they have them. the fear here will remain quite high. the ukrainians are proud, mr. zelenskyy's speech was powerful and very symbolic, lots of color. basically calling it a black or dark spring. we, he was saying we know what it's like to live under war in ukraine. please stop the war. give us what we're asking for. hopefully with all the western leaders coming here, the messages well resonate. >> we saw the g 7, virtual g 7 yesterday. the timing of that was incredibly important, especially given what is happening today. all eyes, of course, not just on the parade and the image that conveys, but critically what putin could say here. for weeks we've been talking about the west and analysts saying he would officially declare war on ukraine. what do you think we're likely to hear from president putin today? >> more of the ridiculous rhetoric, de-nazification of ukraine. maybe he'll stop using the word special military operation. >> you think? >> call it what it is, a war. in theory, enable him to do a further wider mobilization. but that mobilization will probably include still men and women from the poorer regions of russia. there's a lot of reports on social media of recruitment campaigns happening with lots of money being offered. but a recent analysis of russians killed in action in ukraine indicate most of the troops come from thoutse out lyg poor areas. >> he'll mobilize troops, more propaganda for those at home. one expert i was speaking to yesterday in moscow, she was saying this is very much the message everyone's been hearing in moscow, in russia, this propaganda, this rhetoric, calling it a war does not change anything. >> the russian playbook, when it comes to conquering, is to conquer with artillery, those long range weapons, carpet bombing and move in troops to occupy. that presents another problem. so you're going to occupy. mariupol, resistance is very high. so my fear is that they are looking at almost cleaning out these cities. not only of people, but culturally and through other methods. >> actually on that point, we have seen some of this russefication. mariupol not taken, but kherson they are trying to do a referendum, planting flags at hospitals, statues. ukrainians have been speaking out and they have been standing their ground, particularly in kherson. >> they have. it's very chilling for me to see because i saw this happening in real-time in donbas when i was with o.s.e. and the russians took over. that's the first thing they do. knock ukrainian media off the air, take libraries, institutions. >> i'm going to wrap you there because if you're just joining me, bring you up to date, we are looking at live images from moscow. it's 40 minutes past 10:00 in the morning. it's victory day in moscow. it's the military parade. and victory day is the defeat of nazi germany during the second world war. but, of course, this comes under the shadow -- let's listen in. >> translator: comrade soldiers and sailors, sergeants and commissioned officers, officers, generals and admirals, i congratulate you on the great victory day. the defense of the mother land, when its fate was decided, has always been sacred. these feelings of true patriotism led the servicemen on the battle field near mount moscow and lenin grad, battling the enemy near kyiv, minsk, and sebastopol. today in these days, you are fighting for our people in donbas, for the security of our mother land russia. the 9th of may, 1945, has forever been written into world history as the triumph of our united soviet people, its unity and spiritual power. it's exemplary conduct on the battle field and in the rear. this is so dear to all our citizens. there isn't a family that hasn't been burned in russia by the patriotic war and this memory lives forever. today the endless column of the mortal regiment of the grandchildren and children of those who have remained forever young and the veterans who have left us, we are proud of the undefeated spirit of the victors and the fact that we are their heirs. it is our memory of those who defeated nazi and bequeath to us to be watchful and make sure the global war is not repeated again. despite all the different international relations, russia has always stood in favor of indivisible security, creating a system of such security that is so necessary for the world community. last december we proposed a treaty on the guarantees of security. russia called on the west for an honest dialogue, reasonable compromise solutions in the interest of each other. but that was in vain. the nato countries did not want to hear us, and that is means, in fact, they had very different plans and we could see that. they openly were preparing for yet another operation in donbas to invade -- for an invasion of our historic lands including crimea and kyiv. they were talking about the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons. the nato bloc started developing, actively developing territories adjacent to us and, therefore, in a planned way were creating an absolutely unacceptable threat immediately next to our borders. everybody pointed to a collision with the nazis. that was inevitable, and that was supported by the west. we could see how military infrastructure was being developed, how hundreds of foreign advisers were at work, regular supplies of the most modern weapons from nato. danger was increasing every day. russia, russia repelled this aggression in a preventive way. this was the only correct decision, and it was a timely decision. the decision of a sovereign independent and powerful nation. the united states, especially after the fall of the soviet union, started speaking about their exclusivity, exclusive status. emulating the whole world, but its satellites to pretend they can't notice and swallow it up, lap it up. but we are a different country. russia has a different character which shall never give up our love for our mother land, our faith and our traditional values, the customs of our forbears and respect for all nations and cultures. in the west, these thousands old values have been canceled. this moral degradation is at the pinnacle of the history of world war ii, rampant phobia, praising traitors and mockery of the memory of victims and those who built victory. we know that the american veterans who wanted to attend the parade in moscow were banned from doing so, but i want them to know we are proud of your achievements, of your exploits and your contribution to our common victory. we honor all members of the allied armies, americans, british, the courageous members of resistance and chinese soldiers, all who contributed to the defeat of nazis and imperialism. today the soldiers of donbas and russian -- together with russian soldiers are fighting in the battle field where the serv servicemen and many heroes of russians, russian country. i address the servicemen of donbas. you are fighting for the motherland, for its future, so that lessons of the world war ii are not forgotten, so there is no place in history for the punitive divisions of nazis. we bow our heads to all those who lost their lives in this second world war, for the memory of the sons and daughters and fathers and mothers, grandparents, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, friends and families. we bow our heads to the memory of the martyrs of odessa who were burned alive in 1914, for the memory of the old people of donbas and children who died at the barbaric -- in the barbaric strikes of the neo-nazi. we bow our heads for the memory of our comrades at arms who died in the battle in the fair, in the just struggle for russia. a minute of silence. comrades, the death of each soldier and officer is a tragedy for all of us, and is a loss for their loved and families. the states, enterprises and the non-governmental organizations will do everything to surround these families with care, to help them, and we shall give special support to the children of our dead comrades. there is a presidential decree about that and it has been signed. i wish speedy recovery to those wounded, and i thank the doctors, nurses and medical personnel and field hospitals for their selfless work. i bow my head to you for saving every life, for struggling for every life quite often under the fire in the battle field without thinking of yourself. dear comrades, here and now in the red square, shoulder to shoulder, are soldiers and officers from many regions of our enormous country. including those who have come straight from donbas, immediately from the zone from the theater of war. we remember how our enemies tried to use international terrorism against us and sow religious hatred to split us from within, to weaken us. they were not successful. today our soldiers of various ethnic origin and nationality are standing shoulder to shoulder and covering for each other against the shelling, and this is the undefeatable strength of our united nation. today you are defending that which the fathers and grandfathers were fighting for. for them, the greatest sense of life was the security of their motherland, and for our -- for us their heirs, loyalty to the motherland is the main value and the reliable foundation of russia's indivisibility. there was heroism for all eternity. this was a generation of victors and we should all look up to them. glory to our great armed forces for russia, for victory. hoorah. [ chanting ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> you have been listening there to president putin in red square in moscow on this victory day that's being commemorated in russia, does every year. it defeated nazi germany in the second world war. of course, this year it comes under the shadow of a new war in europe, an event that's taken added significance. we heard president putin there within about a minute or so of his speech really coming out with conspiracy theories. the only thing i can say. michael borsekew is here with me. the west did not want to listen to russia. they had other plans. and he kind of hinted there at the fact that the west turned down russia's proposed security guarantees, talking obviously about nato. what stood out to you? >> well, i don't know if you had the same interaction at the end, okay, so what next? there is very, very little indication of where things are going to go from here. that could indicate one of two things. they don't know yet what direction they want to take, escalator tone things down, or the chilling side of the spectrum is we're going to go all out. but yes, very much projecting russia the victim, western aggression, and again, referring to ukrainians in an insulting way of neo-nazis and nazis. the other quick thing is he's not distinguishing between the russian-backed rebels in the donbas and russian armed forces, so that is kind of behind the scenes acknowledgment that our men are also serving there. >> and for so long, of course, we have been talking about the fact that perhaps putin would announce, declare officially war in ukraine. didn't know what the -- war didn't appear in the speech from what i heard. he continued to call it a special military operation. and he said the special operation, one needed and timely measure, it was the only right decision, really for winning -- what did he say, for including crimea, talks about the volunteers. but where does this go? if this is still very much a military operation, are we expecting here a continuation of what we have seen for the last 70-plus days? >> no sign of backing down. that's the chilling point here. the other thing is he referred to deaths on the russian side, but no mention of numbers. he thanked nurses and ngos and so on. i think we're going to see perhaps a shift because they're not doing well on the battle feel. more reliance on artillery, long range rockets. that is a chilling scenario because the tend they strike heavily populated structures. he had no qualms about that. >> i want to bring in nic robertson for more on his take away. nic, i don't know if you were hearing his speech, but he was saying nato was plotting to attack russia through ukraine, and he said that, you know, the special military operation was needed because the west did not want to listen to russia. they had other plans is what he said. >> reporter: yeah, it's a reinvigoration of a message he was leading out with in the run up to this war. and it amplifies it on a very big stage here, the moment and place the world was going to listen to president putin to see what his intent was on ukraine. i was struck by the way that he referred, at least, to the battle zone, if you will, as donbas rather than the whole of ukraine. and i was struck, and i think, you know, perhaps we need to double -- go back and re-check translations, that he did from my recollection of what i was listening to, you know, make the point that some of the soldiers and officers there on red square had come, and the words that i heard were, from donbas, from, and the words president putin used, from the theater of war, which as you noted would be, would be a difference in rhetoric from a special military operation. these people, the soldiers there were fighting for the motherland, and particularly to the point you've been discussing earlier, that putin particularly pulls his forces and troops in from some of the remoter and poorer regions of russia, talking about everyone from a different ethnic background all fighting together for the motherland. these were some of the things that struck me. aside from the obvious, there was little there to read into how he plans to go forward, no sense at all of backing down, however. >> yeah, you are quite right. as you were talking, nic, michael and i were both nodding in agreement to what we heard. i jotted down as well him thanking the donbas volunteers and the russian troops for fighting for the motherland. the question now is, nic, what can we expect? how does that translate, perhaps his words translate to the battle field here, to the front line in the east of the country? >> reporter: i think it does give him the ability to have or not have the success that he wanted to have. that his ultimate achievement may be to secure a slightly larger territory within the donbas, and maybe not even within the whole sort of geographically politically donetsk or donbas. that he may be able to frame this ultimately as that's what he set out because he wasn't sort of framing in any way bigger gains other than, again, just the donbas was the area he was talking about. so i think it gives him that opportunity, and it gives him the ambiguity to reach further, longer than we know were his original intent and he clearly hasn't given up on yet. it must be becoming apparent to him as it is to everyone else that his ground effects have so far been limited and to stretch towards odessa and along the black sea coast as he originally appears to have intended. at the moment, that's a stretch he can't manage. so i think there is ambiguity there that allows him to scale back original objectives into a manageable sell at the end of what may be yet a more costly conflict for him. >> and meanwhile, nic, we did hear from the g7. they had a virtual meeting yesterday, the timing important given what we're seeing on our screen right now. what was the message from the g7, knowing that this was coming, perhaps? >> reporter: that the international community, the g7 nations continue to stand behind ukraine in terms of its immediate military needs, in terms of its immediate financial needs to run the country. but its longer-term needs to rebuild, the territorial integrity and sovereignty that president zelenskyy of ukraine spoke to the g7 leaders about. that was endorsed. that's the language that we've heard all along, and that commitment remains. and i think that commitment is something that was intended to signal to president putin that while nothing may have particularly changed in his mind about the conflict, the way that he understands it, in terms of the opposing forces, president putin, at least, nothing has changed there. and they will continue to ramp up. and continue to try to diminish president putin's propaganda, the disinformation. that was one of the commitments from the g7, but also to throttle back energy imports with the aim of ending, as soon as can be done in a timely way, oil imports from russia. again, this would be, this would be a financial hit for putin. >> nic robertson for us in helsinki. thanks very much. michael borsekew is with me now. you have seen many of these parades like i have, no doubt. almost like an air show, air parade, victory day. this apparently has been canceled because of the weather, this coming from kremlin spokesman dmitry peskov. looking at this image, it doesn't look like a cloudy or rainy day, but we have been hearing from dmitry peskov saying that the air portion of the victory parade in moscow has been canceled. but really, i want to pick up with what we were hearing from nic there, putting into context what we're hearing from the west and g7, the question now becomes what happens in -- on the front lines? he was focusing very much -- didn't mention kyiv, didn't mention ukraine as a whole. he focused on donbas. >> if i was a western military planner, i'd be pretty dizzy now because there are lack of crucial ques to what happens next. the focus on donbas when they started, they only had 30% of that whole region. they're having real problems getting hold of key cities. they had a while in 2014 and kromatorsk. and mariupol. that is a brazen move. i'm sure it was spun back home to show we have the ability to move about. but the fact that, you know, a few scattered clouds or whatever the way the russian armed forces is not a good sign, the way forward -- of course, if you're a western military planner, ukrainian military planner, you'd like those cues to know what they're going to do. the fear is how the artillery is going to be used instead of more ground troops. >> it did sound like we're defending the motherland, we are grateful, we are victims in all of this. almost a que for further mobilization of troops, further push and intensity in the battle field which, by the way, we have been seeing. we have been seeing in the last few days in the donbas region. we've seen it also, you mentioned krematorsk, luhansk with the school shelter being bombed. but the ukrainians have been able to sustain, kind of we've seen the push and pull sustain attack. the question you and i were talking about earlier was how long can they sustain that because if this is going to be a protracted war, there are other challenges for president zelenskyy here. >> exactly. as much as the west likes to provide these high-tech weapons and get them into the hands of the ukrainian army as soon as possible, we mustn't forget the human toll. you and i were talking earlier, i was at the cemetery yesterday. it really brought home the human cost of the war. there's about 66 graves there right now since the beginning of the conflict. they ran out of space inside the cemetery. now they're putting graves outside. this has to be remembered from western leaders that as much as the ukrainians are doing a great, great job, there is that human -- not only amongst military, but huge civilian cost. >> indeed. michael, i know you'll stay with us. we'll take a short break and be back in a few minutes. stay with us. 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(heartbeats) introducing icy hot pro. with 2 max-strength pain relievers. ice works fast... to freeze your pain and your doubt. heat makes it last. so you'll never sit this one out. new icy hot pro with pro-level contrast therapy. rise from pain. if you're just joining us, welcome. moments ago the russian president vladimir putin delivered defiant speech from red square defending the invasion of ukraine, which he called the only correct decision. vladimir putin lashed out at the west as well as ukraine, which he accused of trying to acquire nuclear weapons. he also repeated allegations of nazism within ukraine, claiming danger was increasing every day. president putin said russia, quote, repelled this aggression in a preventive way. these comments come on victory day in russia which commemorates the 77th anniversary of the soviet union's triumph over nazis. not just moscow, right across the country. cnn's claire sebastian a long time viewer, joins us live from london. claire, i know you and i have witnessed, you reported out of moscow for many years. give me a sense of what you took away not just from the speech, but from the show of military power and military might here today. >> reporter: yeah, it's very similar to what we've seen in past years. as i have said, the amount of military hardware that is on display has been accelerating throughout putin's sort of 22 years in power. it looked very similar to previous years. but i think what the speech really showed us, we've seen this from president putin before, when the expectations are high for him to do something, to perhaps retaliate or make an announcement, there are occasions when he doesn't and that is perhaps on purpose to keep people guessing to fuel speculation, and turn around and do something again later. that may be what we're looking at here. what stood out he to me what he said was the facilities sis on the donbas region, talking about that in particular, conflating the fighters in the donbas region with the russian forces talking about their sort of collective homeland and what they're fighting for. that seems to be the major hint that we're getting about the path forward on the battle field because if you look at what russia has done on the ground in the sort of relatively few pl places where they've made gains is consolidate those gains, russian road signs, restoring soviet monuments, even places like kherson trying to introduce the ruble in a traditional phase. they're trying to -- the areas they're taking over. he didn't go as far as some speculated announcing annexation or going further in terms of sort of speaking about territorial gains, but i think the way that he talked about it in the sort of conflation of the russian troops with the fighters in the donbas and talking about the homeland, the use of the word motherland, i thought that was very significant. >> and, claire, he also pledged help for the families of russian soldiers killed in action as well as the volunteers who have been helping. what would be -- how do you see this message playing out inside russia? is this further signs of mobilization within the country, you think? >> reporter: i mean, i think it's hard to say. we haven't really heard him talk about losses on the battle field, so i was struck by that, that he addressed that head on. he said we're going to give particular emphasis to the children of those who have been killed in this war. he thanked the doctors in the field hospitals. he said, we bow our heads to you for taking these risks in the battle field. so he did address the fact this is affecting the russian armed forces. we know families of those have been speaking out about this. that was interesting. it seems he's at a point where he perhaps can't avoid addressing that. i don't know whether it signals further mobilization, but i think as a whole, the speech, his appearance today, this sort of show of force doesn't signal he's backing away. >> no, he doesn't seem like he's backing away or doubling down in any sort of way. one thing really that he didn't address, perhaps obvious reasons, were sanctions. you and i have spoken at great length about the sanctions that have been applied from the west on russia. have they started from what you've seen, claire, have they started to have an impact on russian economy? >> reporter: so, in some ways yes, in some ways not as much as you would expect. the russian central bankers put out a forecast that basically agrees with world institutions, the imf and world bank the economy is set to shrink 10% this year. it could have been worse than that 23 we get an energy embargo from the likes of europe. but otherwise, they've managed to stabilize the economy, in particular the financial system, isa. the ruble is at its highest point against the u.s. dlars not o -- dollar, not only before the war, but since the pandemic. they've really stabilized things. one interesting thing from the speech, he didn't talk about the military aspect of this. he talked about how, you know, russia will never give up on our traditional values. he said in the west these values have been canceled. moral degradation in the west. he's not only mobilizing support for the military operation, but he's mobilizing social support for the russian way of life against the western way of life, and that is something that we've seen in speeches of his in the narrative that he has fostered throughout this. that it's russia against the west, the russian way of life should prevail. >> that is such an interesting point because at the beginning of his speech, if you remember about a minute or so in when he was talking, hinting at nato and the west, trying to almost justify his actions, claire, of what his actions in ukraine, by blaming nato really. that obviously shifts the propaganda at home. how do you think or give us a sense 70 days into this war, how has that propaganda machine, you know, how effective is it being in russia? >> reporter: very effective, isa. there is very tight control of the media at the moment. most of the western and independent process shutdown. they've criminalized even calling this a war rather than a special military operation. the propaganda is certainly very effective. what we see from him in the speech is we've seen throughout this a sort of direct flipping of the narrative, this unprovoked invasion of ukraine. it was not that, in his eyes. it was nato forcing them into this by sort of encroaching on their borders and helping to arm ukraine. he even accused the west of cynically rewriting the history of world war ii. so there's a lot of areas where he takes the accusations that have been levelled against russia and he levels them back against the west. and i think that is somehow a very effective method of winning public opinion. his approval rating, by the way, in russia, is in the 80s at the moment according to the independent. >> wow. claire sebastian, very important context there. appreciate it, claire. thank you very much. i think we'll talk in the next hour or so. and we've got much more, of course, ahead on russia's victory day celebrations and what this could mean, of course, for ukraine. that's just ahead. do stay right here with cnn. >> translator: b because the tank -- welcome back, everyone. if you're just joining us, let me show you what we are looking at right now. this is red square in moscow, and we are looking at victory day in the country, commemorating, of course, victory day. a military parade as is often the case we see every year, tanks rolling in. this is really russia trying to show its military might. not just for propaganda in the country, but also a message really to the west of its military strength. and we heard in the last few minutes a shortish speech from president putin, 50 minutes or so, a very defiant speech, of course, which he said that, you know, the servicemen, the soldiers of donbas, were his words, are together russian soldiers fighting for the motherland. we'll keep an eye on these pictures as russia commemorates victory day. not just in moscow, but across the country. and the commemorations in russia come against, of course, a backdrop of a new war in europe. this one started by russia itself. on sunday, ukraine marked its own day of remembrance for lives lost during world war ii with the president volodymyr zelenskyy of failing to learn the lessons and vowing ukraine will keep fighting. have a listen. >> translator: on the day of victory over nazism, we are fighting for a new victory. the road to it is difficult, but we have no doubt that we will win. what is our advantage over the enemy? we are smarter by one book. this is a textbook on the history of ukraine. we would not know grief if all of our enemies could read and draw the right conclusions. on february 24th, russia launched an offensive treading on the same rake. every occupier who comes to our land treads through it. we had different wars, but they all had the same final. >> president zelenskyy there. we also have a new update from ukraine's military about conditions on the ground. they say russia is holding back some of its forces to try to prevent a ukrainian counterattack near the russian border, but they say the majority of the fighting still focus very much on eastern ukraine. based on video released sunday, a russian deputy prime minister has visited mariupol, the highest ranking official to set foot there since the war started. the southern ukrainian city has been decimated by weeks of bombardment. it is now almost entirely under russian control, except herein side the sprawling steel plant. that is where a group of ukrainian soldiers are still hold up, refusing to surrender and vowing to fight to the death. meanwhile, many of the civilians who spent weeks sheltering inside alongside the soldiers are now back on ukrainian-held territory. the red cross said sunday more than 170 evacuees from azovstal under ukrainian control. some good news, of course, for those arriving, making out of mariupol. i'm isa soares. our coverage continues after a very short break. you are watching cnn. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fix budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? 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