Tense Russia? Ahead of the May 9 military parade, Putin has moral support from the ex-Soviet bloc. His speech and all information in the news ticker.
- After Celebration cancellation for May 9th: “The nervousness is greater than ever”
- Belarus-Support for Putin: Lukashenko comes to “Victory Day”
- This news ticker about the May 9 in Russia is continuously updated.
Moscow – Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany on May 9; it is one of the most important days in the country – and yet not everyone in Russia feels like celebrating. Derailing trains, burning fuel depots, cut power lines, plus the alleged attempted drone attack on Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin: the recent spate of alleged acts of sabotage and attacks on Russian territory has overshadowed Moscow’s preparations for the “Victory Day” celebrations. The preparations went on anyway – the big military parade will take place this Tuesday. Putin should also be there.
After the cancellation of the May 9 celebration: “The nervousness is greater than ever”
Several cities near the Ukrainian border canceled events. They were during the Ukraine War subjected to repeated drone attacks and shelling. There were also similar cancellations elsewhere in Russia. Kremlin boss Dmitry Peskov said about the celebrations in Moscow last week: “There are no changes to the plans.”
Nevertheless, the Russian capital seems tense. The British Guardians quotes an insider from the Moscow mayor’s office on the preparations for May 9: “The nervousness is greater than ever before.” But: “Victory Day must take place, there is no other option.”
Belarus support for Putin: Lukashenko comes to “Victory Day”
The annual parade at the end of the world war on Red Square is intended to demonstrate Russia’s military strength – which is why it is of central importance to Putin. “Incidents are undesirable because they endanger the goal of propaganda and undermine the sense of security among Muscovites,” Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center think tank told AFP.
Putin is also about demonstrating power and unity. It is fitting that politicians from several successor states of the Soviet Union will be present at the celebrations in Moscow. This is reported by the Russian news agency Tass. They will lay flowers and have breakfast with Putin, it said. Belarus ruler Alexander Lukashenko will also be there. Usually he does not take part in the military parade, because at the same time in Minsk he presides over the celebrations in his own country.
Members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
The ex-Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia and Ukraine are not included.
Since coming to power in 2000, Putin has fostered a patriotic cult built on the Soviet victory against the Nazis and intended to legitimize Putin as the heir to Soviet power. Currently, the holiday is particularly important, because it allows the President to once again plant his “simple but crazy idea into public awareness that his ‘special operation’ in Ukraine is a continuation” of the war against Hitler, said Kolesnikov. (as/AFP)
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