TOP HEADLINES

• Russian President Vladimir Putin said a "real war" was again being waged against Russia, saying the West was trying to destroy his country.

• Putin was speaking as Moscow marked the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II with tanks and soldiers assembled in Red Square for a military parade.

• Ukrainian emergency services issued air raid alerts for Kyiv and most of central and eastern Ukraine early on Tuesday, extending from Vynnitsya in the west to all eastern regions and south to Kherson and the Odesa region on the Black Sea.

• The head of Russia's private Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Moscow's top generals of trying to "deceive" Putin over the Ukraine campaign. "Why is the state not able to defend its country?" Prigozhin said.

• EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is in Kyiv to mark the Europe Day celebration of peace and unity and said "My presence in Kyiv today on May 9 is symbolic."

• The EU must speed up efforts to integrate its defense industries and the joint procurement of munitions for Kyiv, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he sees no immediate possibility of reaching a comprehensive ceasefire in the conflict in Ukraine as both sides are convinced they can win, according to an interview in Spanish newspaper El Pais.

• DPRK leader Kim Jong Un said Russia "will prevail" in its fight against what he described as "imperialists," state news agency KCNA said.

• Ukrainian forces shelled the Belgorod region on Russia's border with Ukraine on Monday, injuring at least five people and damaging houses and power lines, the region's governor said.

IN DETAIL

Putin says war at 'turning point' in Victory Parade speech

President Vladimir Putin said Russians were united in a "sacred" fight with the West over Ukraine that would end in victory, and accused the U.S. and its allies of forgetting the Soviet triumph over the Nazis in World War Two.

In a fiery 10-minute speech on Red Square in front of the Kremlin walls at Moscow's Red Square Victory Day parade, Putin said: "Civilization is again at a decisive turning point. A war has been unleashed against our motherland."

With his words aimed at the hundreds of soldiers in attendance, Putin added: "There is nothing more important now than your combat effort. The security of the country rests on you today, the future of our statehood and our people depend on you."

Putin also railed against "Western globalist elites", accusing them of sowing conflicts and "coups" around the world.

"Their goal, and there is nothing new here, is to achieve the collapse and destruction of our country," he said.

A flyover of warplanes over Moscow was canceled, and parades in some other cities were scaled back or called off, amid security concerns - including drones that exploded over the Kremlin citadel itself last week - and shortages of troops and arms at the front.

While Ukraine prepares for a counter-offensive, they are still dealing with ongoing Russian missile attacks. Ukraine's air defenses shot down 23 of 25 cruise missiles fired chiefly at the capital Kyiv overnight. It was the second night in a row of major Russian air strikes and fifth so far this month.

Kyiv symbolized its break from Moscow this year by shifting its observance to May 8 in line with European allies; on May 9 it instead marked Europe Day, celebrating a declaration that led to the founding of the body that became the EU.

The capital hosted EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who tweeted "good to be back in Kyiv. Where the values we hold dear are defended everyday," calling it a "such a fitting place to celebrate the day of Europe."

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