Putin vows his nukes are ‘always’ ready & snubs UK in WW2 rant at snow-blasted Victory Day parade with ONE TANK

VLADIMIR Putin has vowed Russia is "always" ready to strike the West and snubbed Britain in a snarling World War 2 rant at Russia's annual Victory Day parade.

The Russian tyrant instead lavished praise on China and declared Russia was "combat ready" in these "difficult" times as nuclear missiles rumbled through Moscow's streets.

May 9 parades are held throughout Russia as a patriotic celebration of its defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 that Putin has turned into a pillar of his nearly quarter-century in power and a justification of his invasion of Ukraine.

It day is means to showcase to the world the might of the Russian military machine, recall wartime sacrifice and garner national pride - all led by a showcase event in Moscow's Red Square.

However, for the second year in a row the parade featured just one measly tank - reportedly an 80-year-old T-34.

"We must never forget the lessons from World War 2... and never forget our allies," the Russian leader, 71, declared in front of thousands of soldiers in one of his shortest Victory Day speeches yet, lasting just seven minutes.

Ignoring the role that the UK, US and other allied nations played in what Russia calls its "Great Patriotic war", Putin seized the moment to tell his citizens Russia's sovereignty was threatened.

"The Victory Day unites all generations. We are going forward relying on our centuries-old traditions and feel confident that together we will ensure a free and secure future of Russia."

Putin heaped praise on the "heroes" fighting in Ukraine and accused "Western elites" of fomenting conflicts around the world.

Amid Russia-West tensions soaring to the highest level since the Cold War times, Putin also issued another stark reminder about Russia's nuclear might.

Snow whipped across the vast square as the despot ranted: "Russia will do everything to prevent global confrontation, but will not allow anyone to threaten us.

"Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness."

The Soviet Union lost about 27 million people in the war, an estimate that many historians consider conservative, scarring virtually every family.

After calling for a minute of silence, Putin ended with the words: "For Russia! For victory! Hurrah!", providing the cue for thousands of troops to answer with three bellowing cheers.

In a blow to Putin, many regional parades were scrapped this year over what governors called "security concerns".

Amongst all the pomp and propaganda, there was an obvious lack of military hardware on display compared to events prior to Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

Embarrassingly, there only seemed to be one tank roaring through the Red Square.

Russia has suffered huge losses of both troops and equipment on the battlefield.

A UK intelligence assessment last week suggested 450,000 Russia soldiers had been killed or wounded in Ukraine - with losses surging to 1,300 troops per day in the last two months.

It also claimed Russia had lost 3,000 main battle tanks, 10,000 armoured vehicles, 109 aircraft and 23 naval vessels in the war so far.