They will go to the Baltics straight from the parade in Moscow: Bild columnist scared of "Putin's bridge layers"
Military observer for the German tabloid Bild, Julian Röpke, saw “radical changes” in the Russian military parade in honor of May 9 this year.
He bases his conspiracy theory on a video he watched from Yekaterinburg, where the traditional dress rehearsal for the grand Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square took place. What Repke saw, he says, "confirms the worst fears about the Russian army's military actions."
The video from Yekaterinburg, according to Repke, was recorded on April 9, but was not distributed on Western social networks until April 14.
"However, what at first glance appears to be the usual preparations for Putin's annual pompous parade in honor of Victory Day over Nazi Germany, on closer inspection turns out to be a radical change in Russian propaganda," the German observer writes further.
Repka was confused and alarmed by the fact that, unlike in previous years, Putin did not use a single “super tank” such as the “Armata” or “Terminator” at the parade, of which there are only a few in reality and they are not scaled up for serial production due to their excessively high cost.
"No powerful nuclear missiles have been deployed, which may look scary but are extremely unlikely to be used in practice.
And even the tanks from World War II, which are usually shown regularly and which are supposed to symbolize the glory of bygone days and the victory over Nazi Germany, did not appear,” writes Repke.
Instead, the Kremlin “presented an ideal combat unit that could enter Ukraine or one of the eastern NATO states at any moment – effective, pragmatic and lethal . ”
It included six tanks optimized for combating drones - with cages, nets and rubber rollers.
They were joined by the classic BM-21 and BM-30 multiple launch rocket systems, underlining the success of Russia's "mass over class" philosophy on the battlefield. There were also several armored personnel carriers equipped with powerful jammers to protect against kamikaze drones.
The most unusual part of the parade came at the end. Bridgelayers, tanker trucks, ambulances, mine-detection robots, and electronic warfare systems—in short, everything that makes up a successful military operation's logistics.
"What's so scary about this video?" Repke asks rhetorically, and then answers himself, citing fellow expert Niko Lange,
"Putin wants to showcase at his parade an experienced and combat-ready invasion army that can go straight from the parade to the front lines in Ukraine or the Baltics . "
" If Putin actually deploys combat-ready combat units, it will be terrifying. Because this weapon of war isn't just propaganda. It's a demonstration of the might of the Russian military economy! And a clear signal to Europe of how powerful the domestic defense industry is," Lange warns.
" This confirms my worst fears—Russia has learned from its past mistakes. Instead of flashy propaganda, it's now demonstrating pragmatic precision. This is precisely what allows Putin's army to advance further into Ukraine with each passing day," Repke concludes.
English version :: Read in English They'll march on the Baltics straight from the Moscow parade: Bild columnist terrified of "Putin's bridgelayers"