Putin rallies Russians 'forced to attend by employers' in £10k designer jacket

The Russian president gave a pro-war speech in front of tens of thousands of “Z” flag-waving supporters at a Moscow stadium, which has now been compared to Hitler's speeches in Nazi Germany

Vladimir Putin has staged a rally in Moscow which has been compared to both the Nazi rallies of Hitler and the show-trials of Stalin.

The chilling spectacle took place to mark the anniversary of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and saw the Russian president greeted by cheering throngs of people in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, which hosted the FIFA world cup in 2018.

Putin could be seen praising the Russian invasion of Ukraine and assuring those in attendance of Russia's victory, despite reports now emerging that Ukrainian defenders are successfully resisting aggressors.

Some in the crowd can be seen wearing clothing and waving banners featuring the 'Z' symbol.

This was originally used on Russian military vehicles in their invasion of Ukraine and has now become synonymous with Putin's supporters, with some people even comparing it to the Nazi swastika.

A BBC report has also revealed that many people in the crowd had been instructed to attend the rally by their employers, while others had offered them the day off if they went along, though no-one who said that they had been told to attend would go on camera.

Despite the showmanship of the event, which appeared to have been meticulously choreographed, it was interrupted by a moment in which Putin's speech seems to be cut off mid-sentence to footage of crowds cheering.

The Russian president used his speech to hail the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine, quoting the Bible while sporting a £10,500 Loro Piana jacket as the Russian economy falters under the weight of sanctions.

The rally also featured the editor-in-chief of Russia Today and Sputnik Margarita Simonyan, who spoke of "the right to tell the truth" and urged Russia to "take Donbass home".

Part of Putin's justification for invading Ukraine was to carry out "de-nazification" in the country, but the visual language of this rally tells a very different story.

The rally has come as Russia's tactics in the "information war" have begun to exhibit unsettling similarities to those they used in Syria, where Russian forces were instrumental in the siege and destruction of Aleppo.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Putin sees himself as heir to brutal Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

He added: “I think he sees himself as being the successor in a way, not just of Stalin, but of the tsars.”

Meanwhile, the defiant Ukrainians are showing no signs of giving up and are demanding more arms to defend themselves.

Boxing champion and Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said: “We are not depressed. People want to fight. Every day civilians ask me, ‘Please mayor, we need the weapons, we’re ready to defend our families, our houses, and city’.”

The UK’s Ministry of Defence’s said Russian forces “have made minimal progress this week”.

It added: “Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities.

"The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mariupol remain encircled and subject to heavy Russian shelling.

“The UN now states that the number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine has already surpassed 3.2million.”

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Britain’s Chief of Defense Intelligence, Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull, said the “reckless and indiscriminate” use of firepower by Russian forces would inevitably lead to more civilian casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The news comes after Ukraine has launched a desperate appeal for a no-fly zone, using horrifying images of Russia's invasion of the country set to a famous Winston Churchill speech.

The powerful video, lasting one minute and ten seconds, features a clock ticking and compares Putin to Hitler.