Liberation Day | Dispute over Victory Day

For days, Moscow has been engulfed in a sea of ​​red flags and flowers. Throughout the Russian capital and throughout the country, banners and posters commemorate the upcoming Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, as the German-Soviet War is known in Russia. Eighty years ago, Soviet soldiers liberated Berlin and, together with the Western Allies, ended the Nazi reign of terror .

Today, May 9 is the most popular holiday in Russia. A recent survey by the Levada Center shows that 75 percent of all respondents consider May 9 to be the most important date in the holiday calendar, 22 percent more than in 2018.

May 9th is one of the things everyone in Russia can agree on, explains political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann in an article for "Cherta," explaining one of the reasons for its popularity. In the Soviet Union, Schulmann says, May 9th was a kind of secular Easter—the day on which the nation celebrated its symbolic death and resurrection, loss and victory.

Militarization of an individual celebration

For anthropologist Alexandra Archipova, another reason is that people can fill May 9 with their own remembrance, thus turning a state holiday into an individual celebration.

Under President Vladimir Putin, the day took on an increasingly militaristic character, with the motto "We can do it again" gaining increasing traction. Over the years, the militarization of the commemoration also intensified, even reaching the youngest children. In many regions, there have been Victory Day parades in kindergartens in recent days, following the example of the one in Moscow. A children's parade was held in Vladivostok, including a visit from a delegation from North Korea.

And the government is drawing a connection to the current war in Ukraine. The "Heroes of the Special Military Operation" will march on Red Square, Russian media reported. The Immortal Regiment – ​​a grassroots movement commemorating World War II soldiers that was later co-opted by the state – will also display portraits of fallen Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Parade smaller but international

This year's Victory Day parade will be the largest since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. According to "Agenstvo," the last time there was more technology was in 2021. However, one thing is also clear: Compared to the last anniversaries in 2015 and 2020, the parade will be smaller.

According to media reports, up to 10,000 people are expected to march across Red Square, including soldiers from 13 countries. No military representatives from North Korea, which had sent its troops to the Kursk region, will be present.

Kim Jong-un, a close partner of Moscow since last year, will also be represented by his ambassador. Nevertheless, according to the Kremlin, 29 heads of state (not all of them from internationally recognized countries) will be present in the gallery. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan specifically postponed their own Victory Day parades to May 7 so that Presidents Sadyr Zhaparov and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev could travel to Moscow.

EU wants to ban accession candidates from participating

There were discussions beforehand about a ban from Brussels. From there, the Western Balkan countries seeking EU membership were ordered not to travel to Moscow because, as Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braže put it, "it does not correspond to the values ​​of the EU." This referred to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who nevertheless set out for Moscow and encountered problems in the Baltics when Latvia and Lithuania denied him overflight rights. The same applies to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Even in Armenia, which recently enshrined EU accession in its constitution, the Brussels ban is met with great incomprehension. May 9th is also Armenia's victory, for which 300,000 Armenians gave their lives. Victory Day is also a day of pride for the South Caucasus country, clarified the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan.

Ceasefire and drone attacks

Vladimir Putin caused further excitement by declaring a ceasefire for the victory celebrations, thereby putting pressure on Ukraine . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the offer as "cynical." Russia should agree to a 30-day ceasefire, as proposed by the Trump administration, Kyiv said.

Putin's rejection of the ceasefire was followed by the announcement of an attack on Moscow on the day of the parade , along with a threat to the heads of state present that their safety could not be guaranteed. For Zelensky, whose office features a picture of the burning Kremlin, such an attack would be a diplomatic defeat, which was harshly criticized, especially by his most important supporter, the United States. Later, Zelensky tried to talk his way out of it, blaming the Russians for any possible explosions.

Zelenskyy can still claim one small success. With the most massive attacks since the war began—a total of 447 drones and missiles—Ukraine brought large parts of western Russian air traffic to a standstill on May 7. And there are also restrictions in Moscow. Because of the "aggressive neighbor," as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov put it, mobile internet is being shut down in the capital. At the same time, Peskov emphasized that the ceasefire offer still stands. Observers assumed until recently that Zelenskyy would agree at the last moment.

Zelensky's counter-event fails

For Ukraine, Victory Day and the parade in Moscow are part of a battle for the dominant interpretation of World War II. In 2023, Zelenskyy decreed that May 8th should be celebrated. Nevertheless, he wanted to challenge Moscow's claim to May 9th and invited European representatives to Kyiv for a kind of anti-parade. However, the counter-event was canceled because all major European heads of state and government canceled, the Politico website reported a few days ago. A bitter setback for Zelenskyy.

Instead of Kyiv, the Ukrainian leadership will receive foreign guests from the Council of Europe and some foreign ministers in Lviv to establish a tribunal for the Russian government, reports the US state broadcaster Radio Svoboda.