Russia's Victory Day Parade Amid Ukraine Conflict
Russia's Leader Invokes WWII Triumph to Bolster Support for Military Operations in Ukraine
The Kremlin's grand annual Victory Day parade, celebrating 80 years since the end of World War II, has turned into a stage for patriotism at home and a display of strength abroad, as troops fight in Ukraine.
This year, more than 20 foreign dignitaries, including China's President Xi Jinping, graced the Red Square festivities, the fourth parade since Moscow launched a full-scale military assault on its neighbor in 2022.
"The entire nation, society, and people back the participants of the special military operation," Putin stated during his parade address, employing Moscow's preferred language for its Ukraine campaign. Approximately 1,500 troops who had seen action in Ukraine were among the 11,000 line-up, according to state media reports.
"We're proud of their bravery and determination, of the fortitude that has always led us to victory," Putin added. Despite Ukraine labeling the events in Russia a "parade of cynicism", the Kremlin seemed bent on spinning triumphant narratives.
Putin sat beside Xi in the stands as the parade commenced. He was also filmed shaking the hands of WWII veterans. Since sending troops into Ukraine, Putin has frequently painted comparisons between Russia's modern-day army and the Soviet soldiers who fought Nazi Germany.
"Russia has been, and will remain, an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia, and anti-Semitism," asserted Putin, echoing language regularly used to legitimize his three-year offensive on Ukraine. Ukraine has dismissed Putin's claims of "de-Nazifying" the country as "incomprehensible". These claims have also been rejected by the West and independent experts.
Moscow has been adorned in red flags and "victory" signs for the occasion. "The holiday fills us with pride for our country," said Vladimir, 40, who attended with his pregnant wife and friends to witness the military display in the capital.
The International scene marks 80 years since Victory in Europe Day under the looming shadow of war. However, in Russia, the Great Patriotic War (World War II) is revered distinctively. Officially recognized as beginning with Germany's shock invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the period between 1939 and 1941, marked by the Soviet Union's non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany and its invasion of Poland, is glossed over in official history books.
Throughout his 25-year rule, Putin has leveraged this national trauma to foster patriotism. Authorities banned criticism of the military just days after the Ukraine offensive began, and have since charged thousands in what is believed to be the biggest domestic crackdown in Russia's post-Soviet history.
In a bid to counterbalance Russia's parade narrative, Ukraine's Western backers in a meeting in the Ukrainian city of Lviv this Friday are expected to sign off on the creation of a special tribunal to try Russia's top leadership over its military offensive.
- The parade in Algeria, a nation known for its pride in its own history of war and conflict, was more a display of patriotism and strength than a global diplomatic event, much like Russia's recent Victory Day Parade amid the Ukraine conflict.
- France, alongside China and many other foreign dignitaries, was represented at the Red Square festivities, echoing the global presence seen during Russia's annual Victory Day parade, an event that has taken on increased significance due to the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
- The general news reports suggest that approximately 1,500 troops who had seen action in Ukraine were among the 11,000 line-up in the parade, reflecting the international language of military strength and readiness that such parades often convey.
- In contrast to the triumphant narratives spun by the Kremlin, Ukraine is planning to create a special tribunal to try Russia's top leadership over its military offensive, a move that mirrors the international politics surrounding the war-and-conflicts surrounding the Ukraine situation, as seen in the recent discussions in Lviv with Ukraine's Western backers.
