Meanwhile, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said that it was very possible that Ukraine could defeat the Russian army, and called on Putin to come to terms with the fact that Moscow had lost in the long run. However, Putin noticeably avoided announcing an escalation of the conflict into a full-blown war, in a sign of Russian difficulties on the battlefield. He declared that Russians were defending their homeland, as he compared it to other wars throughout history. Russia's Victory Day parade took place in Moscow today and Vladimir Putin pledged that the "special military operation" in Ukraine would achieve its aim. Lavrov's claim came after Ukrainian officials said about 800,000 people had been taken to Russia against their will, a figure that now appears to have been an underestimate. Sergei Lavrov said the people were “evacuated” for their own good and given medical aid and assistance, but Kyiv has long claimed that its citizens are being forcibly deported to far-flung parts of the country or put in camps and used as “hostages”. Last month, Russia’s foreign minister claimed that more than one million Ukrainians had been moved into Russia since the start of the war, offering the first official figure for the mass transfer of people from occupied cities such as Mariupol. He did not give any details about how many Ukrainians are believed to have been forcibly taken to Russia. Mr Kirby described reports as "unconscionable". "But we do have indications that Ukrainians are being taken against their will into Russia." "I can't speak to how many camps or what they look like," John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said. Ukrainians are being moved to Russia and taken to "camps" against their will, a senior US defence official has said. Listen to the latest episode of our daily Ukraine podcast.Russia’s ambassador to Poland has red paint thrown over him.Vladimir Putin's speech decoded as he resists all-out war.Military fly-past 'cancelled owing to bad weather'.
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