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Putin during his speech at the commemoration
Photo: Dmitry Azarov / dpa
80 years after the Red Army defeated the Wehrmacht in the Battle of Stalingrad, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has accused Germany of now allowing itself to be drawn into a war with Russia.
"It's unbelievable, but it's a fact: we're being threatened again with the German Leopard tank," Putin said at a ceremony in Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad.
As in the Second World War, German weapons are being used to fight against Russia on Ukrainian soil.
Contrary to what Putin portrayed, there were no Leopard tanks at the time.
Russia will defend itself this time too, Putin said, referring to the war against Ukraine, which he started himself almost a year ago: "We have something we can answer with.
And the matter does not end with the use of armored vehicles.
Everyone should understand that,” said the president of the nuclear power.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later added: "If new weapons appear, supplied by the collective West, Russia will use its existing potential more fully to respond in the course of the military special operation."
Putin has spoken publicly for the first time since Germany's decision to supply tanks to Ukraine.
He accused the West of pursuing anti-Russian policies similar to those under Adolf Hitler's regime.
»Now, unfortunately, we see the ideology of Nazism in a modern face.
In its modern form, it once again creates a threat to the security of our country.« Germany, however, emphasizes that it is not, or does not want to become, a party to the war.
On Thursday, Putin also visited a memorial for the defenders of Stalingrad in the years 1941 to 1943. To mark the anniversary, some place-name signs in Volgograd were exchanged and the city was temporarily renamed Stalingrad.
A bust of Stalin was also unveiled in memory of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) who led the country to victory.
ani/dpa