Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday in the context of commemorating the “Great Patriotic War” that Russia’s most important weapon is the truth.

“The most important thing, both when discussing the events of the Second World War, the Great Patriotic War (there is no name for the conflict in Russia), and the events of today’s special forces operation, the most important thing is the truth! And trust,” said the Russian president during a speech at a museum in Volgograd.

“This is our most important weapon,” the head of the Kremlin emphasized during an event on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the lifting of the blockade of the city of Stalingrad (the old name of Volgograd) during the Second World War. Students and youth of Volgograd were invited to this event.

His comments sparked a flurry of irony on social media, given the numerous false claims made by Moscow officials and Russian propaganda since the “special military operation” began nearly a year ago.

“The most important thing is the truth, he lied,” Professor Mart Kuldkepp of University College London wrote on Twitter.

“Other countries have the truth, but Russia has the absolute truth,” another Twitter user commented, while another said “if Putin thinks the truth is so important, maybe he should give it a shot.”

Others responded with memes:

Putin draws a parallel between the Second World War and the one he started

Also, during the celebrations in Volgograd on Thursday, the head of the Kremlin sharply condemned Germany’s decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow allied states to do the same.

“It’s unbelievable, but we are again threatened by German Leopard tanks with crosses,” he said during another speech in Volgograd.

“Once again, Hitler’s heirs want to fight with Russia on the territory of Ukraine with the help of the Bandera people,” added Putin, mentioning the name of the partisans of the Ukrainian ultra-nationalist Stepan Bandera, who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

Since the start of the invasion, which he launched last year, Vladimir Putin has claimed that politicians in power in Kyiv are “neo-Nazis” responsible for “genocide” against the country’s Russian-speaking population.

“Those who are dragging European countries, including Germany, into a new war with Russia – and especially irresponsibly presenting it as a fait accompli – those who expect to defeat Russia on the battlefield, clearly do not understand that a modern war with Russia will lead to being for they are completely different,” Putin also warned this Thursday.

“We are not sending our tanks to their borders, but we have something to answer them, and it will not be limited to the use of armored vehicles,” the head of the Kremlin threatened.

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