Billboards promoted patriotic concerts, plays and songfests that were ultimately called off. A grand party scheduled in Moscow was canceled. Two years ago, the event was overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Putin has helped transform Victory Day into the most important holiday of the year, a joyous, nostalgic ritual that buttresses national pride and unifies a sometimes divided society. On Red Square, the event also features a display of historical military weapons, modern tanks and missile systems and other expressions of Russian military grandeur. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, take part in “Immortal Regiment” marches honoring the soldiers and civilians who fought and died in the war. Victory Day military parades in major Russian cities are followed by marches of ordinary citizens carrying pictures of relatives who fought in the war. Russian forces have suffered heavy losses in Ukraine - Western officials estimate that more than 7,000 Russian soldiers have been killed - and some families of service members have questioned the official silence about the scope of casualties. Putin will declare an official state of war and announce mass mobilization, which could entail a military draft and a prohibition on Russian men of military age being allowed to leave the country.Īlthough a shared respect for the sacrifices of World War II remains a unifying force in Russia, a new draft or travel restrictions could provoke a blowback. Putin has been spinning to justify his war in Ukraine are very much in line with the grand, nostalgic narratives of Victory Day.Īnalysts who follow Russia closely, however, say it is far from certain that Mr. Putin will use his May 9 speech next week to invoke the heroism of Soviet soldiers in World War II to try to inspire Russians to make new sacrifices. Now, Russian state media is referring to Ukrainians who have resisted the Russian invasion as “Nazis,” and portraying the fight as the unfinished business of World War II. Sea Drone Attack: The apparent use of remote-controlled boats to attack the Russian naval fleet off the Crimean port city of Sevastopol suggests an expansion in Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities after months of military aid from Western nations.The work of reconnaissance teams penetrating enemy lines has also proven key in breaking Russia’s hold in the territory. Turning the Tables: With powerful Western weapons and deadly homemade drones, Ukraine now has an artillery advantage in the Kherson region.Grain Deal: Russia said that it was rejoining a deal that allows the shipment of grain from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea, easing days of uncertainty over the fate of an agreement that had offered hope to countries facing severe food shortages.The conversations alarmed the Biden administration because they showed how frustrated Moscow had become over its battlefield setbacks. Nuclear Concerns: Senior Russian military leaders recently discussed using a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, according to U.S.
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