Vladimir Putin FORCES Thousands Of Russian Citizens To Attend Rally Celebrating One-Year Anniversary Of Ukraine Invasion
Vladimir Putin allegedly forced thousands of citizens to attend a rally this week celebrating the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, RadarOnline.com has learned.
On Tuesday, just two days before the first anniversary of Russia’s February 24, 2022, invasion, nearly 100,000 Russian citizens attended a celebration hosted by Putin in Moscow’s World Cup stadium.
But while the 70-year-old Russian leader was met with chants of "Russia, Russia, Russia” and the waving of Russian flags throughout the 81,000-person capacity stadium, the majority of those in attendance complained that they were forced to attend the rally in exchange for the day off from work and school.
“To be honest, I think it's absurd. We have to go and there's nothing we can do with it,” one government employee said, according to Daily Mail. “The authorities are using it as a propaganda tool to show off in the eyes of Z-patriots and those who watch TV. I wouldn't go to the event voluntarily.”
“I think that the organization is bad, they gave us a couple of buses, but there were a lot of people and we had to stay inside those buses,” echoed another Moscow citizen. “I had to get up at 5 a.m. to get to the stadium.”
“They mobilized 300,000 people, and they say 200,000 shouldn't be here, can you imagine?”
“I didn't really want to go to the concert, but at least I'll visit the stadium, I've never been there,” another Russian citizen added regarding Tuesday’s rally.
Flyers posted to Telegram also promised rally attendees $6, "free food and gifts,” college credit, and the day off from class for students.
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Despite the fact the citizens were allegedly forced to attend the celebration in Moscow, Putin delivered a rousing address while praising the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
“They fight heroically, courageously, bravely,” Putin remarked. “We are proud of them.”
“Today they are supported by the whole country,” he continued. “When we are together, we have no equal. To the unity of the Russian people.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the rally would not be the first time the Russian leader was accused of staging an event to draw up support for the ongoing conflict.
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At the end of 2022, as Putin delivered his annual New Year’s address, he was accused of hiring dozens of actors to pose as Russian servicemembers standing by his side as he delivered his end-of-year remarks.
Weeks before that, Putin was accused of staging a meeting with a group of ultra-loyalist women posing as the mothers and wives of Russian soldiers who died on the frontlines in Ukraine.