Vladimir Putin has used his annual Victory Day speech in Moscow, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, to justify his war in Ukraine and denounce Nato.

He was speaking as he oversaw a scaled-back parade on Red Square, held under heavy security, with fears of a Ukrainian attack and growing public concern in Russia over the war.

For the first time in years, no armoured vehicles or ballistic missiles featured in Moscow’s Victory Day parade. They were instead shown large TV screens.

The Russian president said he was fighting a “just” war and called Ukraine an “aggressive force” that is being “armed and supported by the whole bloc of Nato”.

His remarks come amid muted celebrations across Russia to mark the nation’s biggest national holiday.

Ahead of the celebrations Russia and Ukraine agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump on Friday.

Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.

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Two people are dead and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon, local authorities said.

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said the suspected perpetrator – who authorities have confirmed is a 33-year-old German citizen – was arrested. Jung added that authorities were not yet clear about a motive.

Police confirmed a car had struck several people in the central Grimmaische Straße area before driving off. Authorities said 22 people were injured, including three seriously.

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On the afternoon of 8 April in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the neighbourhood of Hay el Sellom was hit by an Israeli air strike.

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Iranians living in Tehran have told the BBC what they think of the war and revealed how the conflict has affected their day to day lives.

In recent days, attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz has raised fears that an already fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran could collapse.

Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom”, which began on Monday, aimed to use the US military to escort cargo ships out of Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, however, insists that it controls the key waterway and has warned that it is “just getting started” in the Strait of Hormuz. This escalation of hostilities risks tipping the region back into full-scale war.

As the conflict enters its third month with no clear end in sight, there has been mounting anxiety about what comes next. But what is the view inside Iran?

In today’s episode we speak to the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet who recently returned from a ten day trip to Tehran where she spoke to government officials and ordinary Iranians about their fears and expectations as this war continues.

New episodes of The Global Story are released daily. If you’re in the UK, listen on BBC Sounds. If you live outside the UK, listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to the podcast here: https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/the-global-story-ytl

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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Why have journalists been allowed into Iran?
03:30 What is life like for people in Iran?
10:17 Women in Iran
14:00 What do the people of Iran want?
18:00 What do Iranians think of Donald Trump?

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There has been an exchange of fire between Iran and US forces in the strait of Hormuz, involving three US destroyers deployed to the area. Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire between the two countries.

Iran said US forces had attacked an Iranian oil tanker and it had responded, claiming that it had caused “significant damage” to US ships which it said had fled the strait of Hormuz.

The US military’s Central Command said that Iranian forces launched “multiple missiles, drones and small boats” as three US ships passed through the area. It said no US “assets” had been hit and its forces had intercepted the attacks and responded with what it called “self-defence strikes”.

The US military said it was not seeking escalation but remained “positioned and ready to protect American forces.”

Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Caroline Davies in Dubai and Tom Bateman in Washington.

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For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

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