Putin wanted to show strength, but Moscow parade only revealed his isolation – CNN

CNN notes that, surrounded by veterans who survived the so-called Great Patriotic War in Russia, Putin asserts himself as the "savior and defender of a weakened Russia", which is opposed by the Western "globalist elite".

In his speech to the audience, Putin drew a direct line between the invasion of Ukraine and the victims of World War II, the article says.

At the same time, the visit of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Kyiv is called an emphasis on Putin's isolation from Europe and the West.

Among the key guests of the May 9 celebrations in the Russian Federation were Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who is under EU sanctions, Emomali Rahmon from Tajikistan, and Turkmen dynasty leader Serdar Berdimuhamedow.

CNN wrote that the setbacks suffered by Russian troops near Bakhmut were a sharp contrast to the pomp and circumstance on Red Square.