Fifteen months after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the traditional Russian military celebrations of May 9, the date on which the country marks the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, will not have last year’s chandelier.
Leader Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech to thousands of troops in Red Square, but several events have been canceled elsewhere in the country for fear of “terrorist” attacks, authorities say.
Drone incursions into Russian territory, attributed to kyiv by Moscow, have multiplied in recent weeks. And for some time now, the shadow of a vast Ukrainian counter-offensive has been hanging over us.