Russia's annual Victory Day parade on May 9 was a depressing event. Putin did attend and gave a 10-minute speech where he mostly ranted about nazis. He also said "A real war has been unleashed against our motherland,” as if Russia were the one attacked. A parade of about 8000 military from various branches walked by. Noticeably, regular forces were absent and instead teenage cadets took their place. There was no flypast, as concerns over Ukrainian (or more likely, Russian partisans) drones forced that cancellation. And only one tank was seen, a T-34 relic from World War II. The whole sorry spectacle lasted around 30-40 minutes.
Source: Moscow Times
While the military parade passed off without incident, Russia’s celebrations to mark the 78th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazism have been muted because of heightened security concerns following a drone attack on the Kremlin last week and intense fighting in Ukraine ahead of an imminent counter-offensive by Kyiv’s forces.
The Kremlin has traditionally used Victory Day — a national holiday — for bombastic events that promote patriotic unity and showcase the country’s military might.
But military parades have been canceled in over 20 Russian cities this year and not a single Immortal Regiment march — held in memory of those killed in World War II and usually attended by millions — will take place.
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