Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 on May 9 every year. This year, the commemorations have been scaled back, as Moscow accuses kyiv of carrying out several drone attacks and acts of sabotage on Russian soil.
An XXL military parade, a triumphant speech by Vladimir Putin… In 2022, the Kremlin had made May 9 an ideal showcase, just over two months after the dispatch of Russian armed troops to invade Ukraine. . Russia traditionally celebrates every May 9, the “victory day”to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
This year, the Russian authorities insisted on maintaining the parade, despite a series of attacks on its soil attributed to kyiv. But it should take place in a more feverish climate than in 2022, several cities having decided to cancel the celebrations.
The parade on Red Square maintained
After the drone attack targeting the Kremlin, attributed to Ukraine by Moscow, the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, assured that the military parade scheduled for Tuesday, May 9 in Red Square was not postponed. question. “The parade will take place. There is no change in the program”he said according to Russian news agencies.
The streets of the capital have already been decorated with archival photos and banners, as shown in photos published by AFP.
Outside the capital, six regions, Crimea and around 20 cities canceled the commemorations, due to security concerns, reports the Ministry of Defense British (in English) who believes that the military parade in Moscow should be “on a smaller scale” than usual. THE “Regiment of Immortals”a march of Russian citizens displaying photos of World War II fighters, has notably been canceled according to London.
Security fears
Because a series of attacks and acts of “sabotage” raises fears of disturbances to the Russian authorities. On May 1 and 2, “explosive devices” derailed two freight trains near the border with Ukraine. On May 1, a power line was damaged by a “explosive device”, according to the security services (FSB), south of St. Petersburg. Several depots were also attacked. And on May 3, the Russians announced that they had shot down two Ukrainian drones that were targeting the Kremlin Palace.
These precedents have obviously aroused concern within the regime. “When dealing with a State sponsor of terrorism, it is better to take preventive measures”justified the spokesman of the Russian presidency Dmitry Peskov about the cancellation of part of the events.
A very symbolic day for Putin
“incidents [le 9 mai] are undesirable, as they would interfere with the achievement of propaganda objectives and reduce the feeling of security”, analyzes Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Analysis Center, interviewed by AFP. Gold “this celebration is now doubly important, because it is crucial for Putin to insert into the collective consciousness this simple, but crazy idea that the special operation [en Ukraine] is an extension” of the war against Nazi Germany, he said.
Vladimir Putin justifies the offensive against Ukraine by his desire to fight against “neo-Nazis”. In this context, “May 9 necessarily has a major symbolic importance”like last year, wrote on Twitter Anna Colin-Lebedev, researcher at Paris-Nanterre University, specialist in post-Soviet Russia. “A number of combatants from the current war will be honoured”, she continues.
Ukraine will stop commemorating May 9
The Russian leader’s speech will also be an opportunity to awaken the patriotism of the population, while the army looking to recruit. It could prove more difficult this year to arouse popular jubilation, while the conflict is bogged down and the Russian army has suffered casualties. In addition, the paramilitary group Wagner threatened to withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmout, citing a lack of ammunition. He finally announced his continuation after Moscow’s “promise” to send some.
“The risk of protests and expressions of discontent over the war in Ukraine also probably weighed on the calculations of the Russian leadership”says the British Ministry of Defence.
Several countries, former members of the Soviet bloc, will also organize parades on May 9. But Ukraine has decided to break with this tradition: President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that his country would no longer celebrate victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, in accordance with Soviet and Russian tradition, but on May 8, with “the free world”.