About 200,000 people filled the Luzhniki stadium in the Russian capital this Wednesday for rallies and concerts in support of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, held on the eve of the first anniversary of the start of the conflict (February 24).
“Once again we remind the world: don’t fight the Russians”exclaimed the well-known Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov at the beginning of the event, who took to the stage accompanied by other professional colleagues dressed as warriors and soldiers from different eras.
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the stands, completely full of spectators, are blue, red and white, the color of the Russian flag handed out to many spectators at the entrance to the stadium.
“I want the people of Zaporijia, Kherson and Donbass to see us, and I want the people of Odessa, which is also part of Malorossiya, to see us,” The acting governor of the annexed region of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement broadcast on Russian television.
For his part, the pro-Russian leader of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, confirmed that the purpose of the Defender of the Fatherland Day celebration, which will be held on Thursday, has been “changed”. “Now we understand what it means to defend the fatherland, to sacrifice everything you have for the fatherland. And that is what our defenders are doing now, to pass this land on to the new generations”he claimed.
The act, titled “Glory to the Defenders of the Fatherland”, will likely later be accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin to have the opportunity, EFE says, to “take a shower from the crowd”. In addition to the main stand, there are several stages where Russian musicians and artists perform, supporting the “special military operation”. Before the start of the event, the Moscow City Council closed several streets around the stadium to traffic.
According to EFE, city security has been strengthened with additional police units, guarding main Moscow metro stations and other locations with three- and four-troop patrols.
Source: DN
