On Victory Day, Putin projects normalcy
WWII sacrifices focus of a more traditional event
mosCow — the ballistic missiles rolled through Red square, the fighter jets zipped overhead, and rows of foreign dignitaries impassively looked on. Russia’s annual commemoration of the end of world war II presented a traditional ceremony thursday cherished by millions of Russians, a reflection of president vladimir putin’s broader attempts to project normalcy while resigning the population to a prolonged, distant war.
At last year’s victory Day celebration, as Russia struggled on the battlefield, putin said the country was engaged in a “real war” for survival, and accused western elites of seeking the “disintegration and annihilation of Russia.” on thursday, he merely referred to the war in ukraine once, using his initial euphemism for the invasion, “special military operation.”
And on Russia’s most important secular holiday, he dedicated more time to the sacrifices of soviet citizens in world war II than to the bashing of modern adversaries.
still, he did not ignore those adversaries entirely, reviving familiar criticisms and grievances about what he says are attempts to undermine Russia and accusing the west of “hypocrisy and lies.”
“Revanchism, abuse of history, attempts to excuse modern heirs of the nazis — these are all parts of the policies used by the western elites to spark more and more new regional conflicts,” putin said in an eightminute address.
the ceremony itself was slightly more expansive than last year’s bare-bones procedure, a sign of a nation that has recovered from the initial shock of the war and currently holds the advantage on the battlefield in ukraine.
About 9,000 service members marched through the Red square as snow fell, compared with about 8,000 in 2023. there were a few dozen more units of military hardware on display and a few more foreign dignitaries present.
the city center, usually crowded with revelers celebrating the holiday, was mostly blocked off by security services. the temperature in moscow was the coldest recorded on this date since 1945, according to the national meteorological service.
last year, putin hosted only the presidents of former soviet republics, who along with Russia fought against nazi germany in world war II. this year, the foreign heads of state included the presidents of Cuba, laos, and guinea-Bissau, underlining Russia’s persistent clout among developing countries, despite western attempts to isolate putin diplomatically.
putin’s closest foreign ally, president Alexander lukashenko of Belarus, also attended, bringing his dog, a spitz called umka, with him to the front row of the parade stand.
most symbolically, this year’s parade once again featured a flyover by fighter jets, which left a trail in the colors of the Russian flag over central moscow. this was canceled last year amid escalating attacks on the Russian capital by ukrainian drones.
these attacks have since subsided, as Russia has strengthened its air defenses and improved its own drone capabilities. As the parade was coming to an end, drones hit an oil refinery in the ural mountains, 750 miles east of moscow. the local governor claimed that it continued to work normally.
more broadly, over the past year, Russia has stabilized its economy, expanded its military production, and organized a steady flow of new recruits, allowing it to retake the initiative on the battlefield after a disastrous first year of full-scale war in ukraine.
thursday’s parade was still a far cry from the victory Day pomp before the invasion, when more than 10,000 Russian soldiers traditionally marched, and Russia’s latest tanks, airplanes, and helicopters streamed across Red square.
But this year’s parade still appeared to signal that the worst of the upheaval of Russia’s war in ukraine was over.