The war in Ukraine has led officials across Russia to reduce the annual celebrations of the Victory DayThe country’s most important national holiday, with more than 20 cities canceling military parades and organizers canceling a popular nationwide march in honor of veterans.
Security concerns are most commonly cited for the rush to cancel Tuesday’s events, but some analysts say the insecurity has more to do with concerns about disturbances in the country. water.
It was an extraordinary step forward in a country where military parades, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, have become a signature event for President Vladimir V. Putin.
Over the years, he viewed the day not only as a celebration of historic victory but also as a need for Russia today to stop the Western forces he said were still trying to destroy it. More recently, he tried to include Ukraine in that story, falsely portraying it as a Nazi plantation.
The country’s largest military parade, outside the Kremlin on Red Square, is still said to be the usual show of crude military might, with rows of carefully choreographed soldiers marching between weapons. Gases include classic tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Mr. Putin is also expected to give a speech to the nation.
But outside of Moscow, a series of recent drone attacks against military or infrastructure targets in cities such as Sevastopol in Crimea, the home port of the Black Sea fleet, as well as other attacks in areas bordering Ukraine, has prompted officials must be suspended. Even the Kremlin is not immune to two drones Destroying Putin’s office last week.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, bet his nation’s claim on the holiday, with an address on Monday draw parallels between World War II and the current war against the Russian invaders. From now on, he said, May 9 will be known as Europe Day, commemorating “the unity of all Europeans who destroyed fascism and will defeat the dictatorship,” a Ukrainian term that combines “Russia” and “fascism”.
“We fought then and now we fight so that no one else enslaves other nations and destroys other nations,” he said.
In Russia, many regional governors have cited security concerns in the cancellation of Victory Day events. They don’t usually go into detail, but in Belgorod, an area bordering Ukraine, the governor suggested that slow-moving military vehicles and marching troops could make attractive targets.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said: “There will be no parade without provoking the enemy with a large number of equipment and troops gathered in the center of Belgorod. “The refusal to hold the parade is concerned with the safety of residents in the area.”
Many regions have banned drone flights during events, and the Readovka news agency on Telegram reports that National Guard units have been given anti-drone weapons.
Igor Artamonov, governor of the Lipetsk region, also near Ukraine, said his decision should not be misinterpreted.
“We’re not scared, we’re not raising our hands,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Not a single neo-Nazi scum could celebrate the Great Victory Day. But we also don’t have the right to put people in danger. It is clear to everyone that parades are held in strictly defined squares at strictly defined times.”
The cancellation of the nationwide “Immortal Regiment” parade, when ordinary Russians took to the streets to display photographs of their veteran ancestors, was perhaps the most striking change. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said the march had been canceled as a “precautionary measure” against possible attacks.
Some governors said they did not want large gatherings in the middle of the war. But some analysts say the Kremlin may be worried that mass gatherings of Russians into the streets at such a difficult time could lead to civil unrest, even if Russia has wartime laws in place. harshly against the protests.
The situation could be particularly unsettling if thousands show up with pictures of those recently killed in the war, analysts say, revealing the extent of the damage the government has tried to hide. Some portraits of soldiers killed in Ukraine were carried during last year’s celebrations, but the numbers were much smaller then, just two months after the fighting.
Elvira Vikhareva, a political activist, said: “People will not bring portraits of their great-grandfather. wrote on Facebook. “People will come out with portraits of their father, son and brothers. The regiment will not become ‘immortal’, but very mortal, and the scale will show.
Whatever the reason, Russian officials have been pushing for an alternative, suggesting people upload portraits to a special website or post portraits of their veteran ancestors. into their car and apartment window.
Some local leaders far from Ukraine said they were canceling parades to show solidarity with frontline areas. In the Pskov region, where a famous division of paratroopers has been devastated by fighting and could lead to war crimes, Governor Mikhail Vedernikov said that the sound of fireworks would disturb soldiers who were on the ground. restore health and that money should be better spent on them. demand.
Other regions have planned to continue the festival, but on a smaller scale. For example, in St. Petersburg, there will be no flyovers of the air force.
Some pro-war bloggers grumbled that the men and equipment typically present in many marches would have been more useful at the front, bolstering the struggling war effort.
Governor Vedernikov suggested a change, saying, “We must not celebrate the victory, but let’s do everything we can to bring it closer.”
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