Security concerns cast a shadow on celebrations across Russia of the World War II Victory Day holiday, as authorities canceled or scaled back plans for parades and other events on a day that President Vladimir Putin has made a centerpiece of his patriotic push.
(Bloomberg) — Security concerns cast a shadow on celebrations across Russia of the World War II Victory Day holiday, as authorities canceled or scaled back plans for parades and other events on a day that President Vladimir Putin has made a centerpiece of his patriotic push.
In Moscow, the Kremlin stuck with plans for Putin to speak at the Red Square military parade. Authorities stepped up security in the capital after a pair of drones was downed at the Kremlin on May 3 just a short distance from where the podium is usually set up for the address. Russia claimed the incident was an attack by Ukraine. No one was hurt and Kyiv denied responsibility.
This year’s military parade will be slightly smaller than a year ago and may lack the flyovers by planes and helicopters that had been a staple since the Russian leader reinstated the Soviet-style procession of tanks and equipment in 2008.
For years, Putin has used steadily expanding Victory Day celebrations around the country to build national feeling. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what’s known as the Great Patriotic War and the holiday still has deep resonance for many.
The security worries come as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is in a critical phase. Backed by new weapons and training from allies in the US and Europe, Ukraine is planning an offensive in the coming weeks to eject Russian forces from more of its territory. Moscow fired more missiles at Ukraine Monday night, Kyiv said.
Around Russia, scattered drone, sabotage and other attacks in recent months have fueled doubts about the Kremlin’s ability to continue to insulate most of the population from the impact of a conflict it still refuses to call a war. Russia also blamed Ukraine for a car bombing that injured a writer known for his support of the invasion.
Governors in nearly two dozen Russian regions, including a few in Siberia, far from the conflict zone, canceled plans for parades fireworks and other holiday celebrations. Some cited security concerns, while others blamed “moral-ethical” issues given the ongoing war.
In Moscow, organizers called off the ‘Immortal Regiment’ march that had attracted tens of thousands – including Putin himself – to commemorate relatives who died in World War II.
Regions around the country banned the use of drones after the incident at the Kremlin last week. Jamming of GPS signals – another security measure – disrupted some carsharing and taxi services in central Moscow.
In his speech last year, Putin sought to draw parallels between his invasion of Ukraine and the Soviet defense against Nazi forces in World War II in an effort to cement public support for the struggling campaign. Ukraine, which suffered vast death and destruction at the hands of the German invaders, rejects any such analogy.
Over the last year, Ukraine has driven Russian troops out of many of the areas they once occupied. The Kremlin has largely scrapped plans for its own offensive at the moment, instead shoring up its lines in hopes of preventing Kyiv’s forces from breaking through in the coming weeks and months.
Just over 50% of Russians support starting peace talks, according to a recent poll by the independent Levada Center, while 38% favor continuing the military operation.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed that Russian forces would be defeated just as Nazi ones were. He proposed shifting the Victory Day celebrations to May 8, in line with countries across Europe.
Putin is hosting leaders of most of his former Soviet neighbors for the Victory Day events Tuesday, including the heads of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. That marks one of the largest turnouts in recent years.
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