What Is Russia’s May 9 Victory Day?

Victory Day, celebrating the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, is Russia’s most important secular holiday, although this year it has been scaled back as the war in Ukraine continues.

More than 20 cities, some thousands of miles from the battle lines, said they would boycott military parades, and organizers canceled a popular national march to honor veterans.

Here is a look at the significance of the holiday has been taken during President Vladimir V. Putin’s twenty years in power.

Why is Victory Day so important?

Mr Putin has helped turn Victory Day – meant to honor the 27 million Soviets who died in World War II – into one of the most important holidays on the Russian calendar, a nostalgic ritual that supports national pride and unites a sometimes divided society.

What happened on Victory Day?

The country’s biggest parade, which takes place outside the Kremlin in Red Square, usually showcases raw military might, with carefully lined lines of soldiers marching amid weapons ranging from vintage tanks to intercontinental ballistic missiles. But this year, there was only one old Soviet tank in the procession, and none of them were modern.

Many local parades were canceled, and perhaps the most surprising change was the decision to cancel the national Immortal Regiment parade, where ordinary Russians took to the streets to display pictures of their veteran ancestors.

Some analysts have suggested that the Kremlin may be nervous about putting so many Russians on the streets at such an uneasy time, despite Russia’s wartime laws against protests.

Analysts say Russian officials may be worried that thousands of people will share images of those recently killed in the war, revealing the number of casualties the government has tried to hide.

How did Mr. Putin tie Russia’s victory over the Nazis to Ukraine?

The Kremlin has launched the war as a continuation of Russia’s war against evil in World War II, known in the country as the Great Patriotic War, and on Tuesday Mr Putin immediately made the connection again, describing the invasion of Ukraine as a “holy” struggle for the country’s survival. Russia.

In the past, Mr. Putin has variously called the Ukrainian government “open neo-Nazi,” “pro-Nazi” and controlled by “little Nazis.” The sudden accusation of Nazism shows how Mr Putin tried to use stereotypes, distorted facts and his country’s World War II trauma to justify the invasion.

The language has been a constant element of Russian messaging, even though Ukraine is led by its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, and last fall passed legislation intended to combat antisemitism.