On Tuesday, Russian troops will participate in a Victory Day parade in Red Square, which will be addressed by President Vladimir Putin. However, due to recent events, the day's festivities may highlight the vulnerability and military weakness of Russia instead of its strength.
The holiday, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany, occurs almost 15 months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and only a few days after an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. Furthermore, the high-profile struggle to capture Bakhmut during the winter season has not yielded any symbolic victories, and there have been several recent explosions at strategic targets deep within Russia. As a result, many regions have scaled back or canceled military parades that usually attract huge crowds.
In an effort to maintain security for the high-profile event in the capital, Red Square has been closed to the public for two weeks. Moscow has also banned civilian drones, and ride-sharing services are unavailable in the city center.
Although the "Immortal Regiment" procession, which involves hundreds of thousands of Russians marching with portraits of family members who fought against Nazi Germany, has been moved online due to COVID-19, some activists and analysts believe authorities may have also feared a potent display of the effects of the current war if families brought portraits of those killed in Ukraine.
Victory Day has tremendous sentimental value for Russians, honoring the sacrifice of 27 million people in the fight against Nazi Germany. However, under Putin's rule, the Kremlin has weaponized that memory, using it to demonstrate its military might and send a message to its adversaries.
Putin often evokes the Soviet victory to stoke patriotism and justify his invasion of Ukraine, which he baselessly claims is run by a Nazi government supported by the West.
Although Putin will likely repeat this narrative to rally society behind his "special military operation," it is the second Victory Day that Russia marks without any major victories on the battlefield in Ukraine. The fight for Bakhmut has only added to a sense of frailty that will be hard to avoid during the day's celebrations.
Ukraine took another symbolic step to distance itself from Russia by commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany on May 8 and designating May 9 as "Europe Day" to mark peace and unity on the continent. This move was criticized in Russia, with some calling it a betrayal of Ukraine's ancestors.
Comments