Due to security concerns, military parades have been canceled in various parts of Russia. The cancellation of civic marches can be a sign of uncertainty on the part of those in power.
MOSCOW Russia commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9.
Victory Day has become the ideologically most important holiday for the Russian leadership. Russia’s war in Ukraine now also casts its shadow on its conduct.
In Moscow, the Red Square was already closed two weeks before the holiday. Military parades have been canceled in more than 20 cities and the so-called “Immortal Regiment” marches throughout the country.
In marches, it has been customary to remember those who fell in the war and those who participated in it by carrying their photographs.
Russian authorities seem to be afraid that Ukraine would make some sort of attack during the festivities.
Last week, Russian officials said the Ukrainians had tried to use unmanned drones to attack the Kremlin. Some experts have suspected this to be Russia’s own staging. Whoever was responsible, the incident does not at least increase the feeling of security in Russia.
Read more about Moscow’s robust air defence: The most protected city in the world?
Last Saturday, a staunchly nationalist writer Zahar Prilepin an attempt was made to kill with an anti-tank mine. There have been aerial attacks on Russian oil depots, and two freight trains were derailed by bomb attacks in the Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border.
It has been speculated that the attacks foreshadow a counterattack by Ukraine.
War also sells new war
A military parade is scheduled to take place in Moscow. The authorities have assured that it will be as big and spectacular as in previous years.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin is likely to again equate World War II and the current war against Ukraine in his speech. The Russian leadership has tried to paint its war as a kind of reenactment of the Second World War.
However, there is a lack of profits, and this is highlighted by the founder of the private Wagner mercenary company Yevgeny Prigozhin constant tinkering with the Ministry of Defense.
Despite months of bloody fighting, Russia has not completely taken control of the city of Bahmut in Ukraine.
The cancellation of the marches raises questions
The cancellation of the “Immortal Regiment” marches removes from Victory Day one of the most important ways in which citizens themselves have been able to participate in the celebrations.
Marches began to be organized on Victory Day in 2011. In the marches, Russians carry photos of their relatives who fell in the war.
The event was originally conceived by journalists of an opposition-minded Siberian TV channel, when they noticed that veterans were less and less present at the Victory Day celebrations.
The event started as a grassroots phenomenon, but the government later took control of it.
The cancellation of the marches has caused a lot of speculation in Russia. Officially, it has been justified for security reasons.
It may be that the Russian authorities do not dare to take the risk of any kind of civic activism. Even the “Immortal Regiment” could turn into a protest against the war in Ukraine.
If the Russians brought pictures of those who fell in Ukraine to the march, it could show the extent of the losses suffered by the Russian forces.