Anton: What did monday's speech tell us? Well, one it told us is that putten is still very sensitive to russian public opinion. Putten sees that there is broad support of the war, but i think there's a fear in the kremlin that support is skin deep. Anton: Once puten starts asking russians to give up a lot for this war effort, he might see that support dissipate.
For years, President Vladimir V. Putin has taken advantage of Victory Day — when Russians commemorate the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany — to champion his country’s military might and project himself as a leader of enormous power.
This year, he drew on the pageantry of May 9 for an even more pressing goal: making the case for the war in Ukraine.
Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times.
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