Putin claims West trying to undermine history of Soviet victories

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the West in remarks at the military parade in Moscow to mark the 79th anniversary of Allied victory over Adolf Hitler's Germany.

The West is trying to distort the memory of the Soviet Union's victory in the war, Putin said in Moscow on Thursday.

The truth disturbs "those who build their colonial policy on hypocrisy and lies," Putin claimed. "Revanchism, the mockery of history, the effort to justify today's imitators of the Nazis - this is part of the general policy of Western elites to constantly ignite new regional conflicts, ethnic or religious conflicts."

Putin has repeatedly accused Ukraine of following the Nazis during the past two years, as Russian forces wage a full-scale war against the country.

Putin has also equated other countries that support Ukraine with Nazis as well. Putin on Thursday complained that Soviet memorials were being torn down in many countries.

In front of more than 9,000 soldiers, the Russian president emphasized Russia's ability to defend itself.

"We do not allow anyone to threaten us," he said, praising the Russian soldiers currently fighting in Ukraine as heroes.