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One of Russia’s most significant national holidays is merely days away. Celebrated annually on the 9th of May, Victory Day marks the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War 2. But this year, the country’s celebrations are likely to take on a whole new meaning.
Over two months after Russia launched a crippling attack on Ukraine, some western critics believe this year’s Victory Day will mark a turning point in the invasion, which has already cost thousands of Russians and Ukrainians lives. After so far insisting on calling the attack on Ukraine a “special military operation”, some believe the Kremlin may officially declare a “war” on Ukraine on May 9, a symbolic day for the country.
While the Kremlin’s press secretary has denied these allegations, calling them “nonsense”, ordinary Ukrainians are bracing themselves for a fresh wave of attacks.
On May 9, Russia commemorates the defeat of the Nazis during World War II. Notably, while the allies observe “V-E Day”, or Victory in Europe Day, on May 7 — the day Nazis surrendered in France — Soviet leader Joseph Stalin chose to celebrate the fall of the Nazis in Soviet-controlled Berlin the next day.
While Russia’s first post-Soviet president Boris Yeltsin made Victory Day celebrations an annual affair, it was Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev who declared May 9 a national holiday, Time Magazine reported. Victory Day celebrations usually include a massive military parade in Moscow. Russian leaders also traditionally stand on the tomb of revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in Red Square.
Over the last two decades, Putin has turned Victory Day into a near-sacred event. In Putin’s Russia, millions of ordinary Russians are known to gather on the streets of Moscow to watch the parade and participate in the festivities. People often carry photographs and portraits of relatives who died during the Second World War.
Even when celebrations were disrupted during the coronavirus pandemic, the names of soldiers killed during the war were broadcasted on state television channels.
Over the last few years, on the near-sacred national holiday, Putin has repeatedly warned of new battles ahead. Last year, in his annual address at Red Square, he said Russia’s enemies were once again deploying “much of the ideology of the Nazis,” The New York Times reported.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine, Putin has justified the war by claiming he was “denazifying” the country. Putin has repeatedly used the Holocaust, World War II and Nazism to legitimise Russia’s attack on Ukraine. But many historians have criticised the Russian president for spreading disinformation to further the Kremlin’s agenda.
Several political analysts believe the Russian President will use his May 9 speech next week to draw parallels between the conflict in Ukraine and the heroism of Soviet soldiers during World War II.
Preparations for a grand May 9 celebration are well underway in Russia this year, with state media reporting that warplanes are practising flying formations over Red Square. The parade next week may include eight MiG-29 jets flying in the shape of the letter “Z,” which has become a popular symbol of Russian nationalism, according to a report in The NYT.
According to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, military parades will be held in 28 cities and will involve around 65,000 personnel and 460 aircraft.
Ukraine has alleged Russia has plans to celebrate in Ukrainian cities too. Intelligence officials have claimed that Russia has been cleaning up the streets of the battered port city of Mariupol in an effort to make it presentable as “the centre of celebrations”.
Some say Putin may even declare an official state of war in Ukraine. So far, the Kremlin has maintained that the invasion is a “special military operation”, and has taken action against journalists and news outlets that have questioned its official position.
While the Kremlin has denied that Putin will declare war on May 9, he is expected to make a strong statement. According to a CNN report, he may announce plans to annex the breakaway territories of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, or declare full control over Mariupol.
Western critics fear Putin will use his May 9 speech to intensify the attack on Ukraine and mobilise Russian citizens for a wider, more bloody battle.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday there is “good reason to believe that the Russians will do everything they can to use” May 9 for propaganda purposes, CNN reported. “We’ve seen the Russians really double down on their propaganda efforts, probably, almost certainly, as a means to distract from their tactical and strategic failures on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he said during a recent press briefing.
According to a report by The Hill, many ordinary Ukrainians are migrating from bigger cities and towns out of fear that the war will escalate.
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