May 9 in Moscow: a military parade almost like any other

Vladimir Putin, pariah of the international community, but surrounded Monday May 9 by 11,000 soldiers in Red Square. The May 9 parade was supposed to be a show of force, but for lack of a decisive victory in Ukraine, it looks like a military parade almost like any other. Cameras on board even under the tracks of the tanks, a lot of artifice, but a lonely leader pleads on his knees, justifying his invasion of Ukraine.

In the crowd, excited Russians, also convinced that this intervention in Ukraine is in line with 1945, when the Soviets won against Nazi Germany. “We love our powerful army. Thanks to our soldiers, we are ready to fight against Nazism”, a woman enthuses. A few minutes before this parade, the Ukrainian president takes the stage. Volodymyr Zelensky, described as a Nazi by Vladimir Putin, also occupies the space on this particular date. At the same time, in besieged Mariupol, the flag of Saint George, symbol of the victory of the Soviets over Nazi Germany, is carried by the Russian occupiers.