Putin hoping WWII parade lifts support
MOSCOW — A massive Russian military parade postponed by the coronavirus pandemic will roll through Red Square this week to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, even though Russia is still registering a steady rise in infections.
President Vladimir Putin’s insistence on holding the parade reflects his desire not only to put Russia’s power on display but to bolster patriotic sentiments a week before a constitutional referendum that could allow him to remain in office until 2036.
The Victory Day parade normally is held on May 9, the nation’s most important secular holiday. This year’s date of Wednesday, June 24, coincides with the day in 1945 when the first parade was held on Red Square after the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union and its allies.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what it called the Great Patriotic War, and the enormous suffering and sacrifice of that era has left a deep scar in Russia’s psyche.
Victory Day is a rare event in the nation’s divisive post-soviet history that is revered by all political sides, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage patriotic pride and underline Russia’s role as a global power.
His approval rating plummeted to 59 percent in April, its lowest level in more than two decades, according to the Levada Center, the nation’s top independent pollster.
“Three months later, the ratings will be lower as the economy is going downhill,” Oreshkin said.
“It’s essential to hold the vote right now.”