Russia is preparing for a Victory Day marked by nerves more than patriotic exuberance.
Victory Day, May 9th, commemorates the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The day is usually celebrated with large military parades with a patriotic spirit.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, using the event to kindle patriotic sentiments is especially important within the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dubbed by the Kremlin a ‘special military operation against anti-Russian neo-Nazis.’ World War II is called the ‘patriotic war’ against Nazi Germany in Kremlin propaganda.
But Reuters and other media have reported that several Russian regions have already cancelled parades and scaled back events out of fear they could be targeted by saboteurs or other attackers.
According to Reuters, even in Moscow, rehearsals for the day’s celebrations seemed to include fewer military personnel and less military hardware than usual. But residents weren’t concerned about possible sabotage or attacks by Ukraine.
“I think we need to hold (the parade) to boost patriotism among people as it is fluctuating due to the special military operation,” Andrei Kucheryavykh, a resident of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, visiting Moscow with his son, told Reuters. “People have to know what our great-grandfathers, our grandfathers and grandmothers went through … as many are beginning to forget what May 9th is and what it stands for.”
The Soviet Union suffered more deaths than any other country during World War II, losing 27 million people.
Russia has suffered increased drone attacks within its own territory in the last week, including attacks targeting fuel depots and freight trains, and multiple blasts across Russian-occupied Crimea on Sunday night into the early hours of Monday.
Most disturbingly, on May 3rd, a drone struck the heart of the Kremlin itself, and two other drones flying over the city were downed by anti-aircraft artillery. Ukraine has officially denied all responsibility for the attacks, though the Kremlin has called the attack an attempt to assassinate Putin.
Moscow also blamed Kyiv for a car bombing on Saturday that killed the driver of Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, in a village about 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow. Prilepin was wounded in the explosion.
