A division of military power in Moscow: what to know

President Vladimir V. Putin will chair a Victory Day parade on the Red Square on Friday, a grand celebration of the Soviet triumph against Nazi Germany 80 years ago that is used to emphasize the earlier glory of Russia and justify the war with Ukraine.

Sitting with Mr Putin in stands founded for the Mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin, the leaders will be China, Brazil and more than 20 other states, an attempt from the Kremlin to show how countries of the “Global South” are intended to present a counterweight in the West.

They will view a procession of thousands of soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles, tanks and nuclear rocket throwers. A regiment of Chinese soldiers will march on the red square for the Karmozijnrode walls of the Kremlin, and it is expected that fighter jets will fly over Moscow.

Why is this year’s parade considerable?

This year the Parade is expected to be the largest since the full invasion of Russia in Ukraine in 2022. Russia will welcome the highest number of foreign dignitaries since 2015 and their participation or absence will be examined in Moscow as signs of challenging or loyalty to the West.

At the end of April, Mr Putin announced a three-day unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine, starting on May 8 to mark the parties. President VolodyMyr Zensky from Ukraine rejected The proposal, which called it a ‘theatrical show’, and proposed a 30 -day reinforcement that could allow what he called meaningful negotiations to end the war. Mr. Zensky also said that Ukraine would not offer security guarantees to guests of the Parade in Moscow.

In the days that lead to the victory day in Russia, Ukraine has increased His attempts to touch Moscow and the surrounding areas, which leads to speculation that the parade itself could become the target. Russia has also focused on Ukrainian cities in recent days, including Kyiv.

“It is completely fair that the Russian heaven – the air of the aggressor – is not calm today,” said Mr. Zenskyy an address On Wednesday.

What is its meaning for Russia?

The Parade will commemorate the annual vacation that traditionally has crossed the many divisions of Russia as an expression of national pride. The Soviet Union lost more than 26 million lives during the war and touched almost every family.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, however, the Parade and the Great Festivities around it became a point of division in Russia and beyond.

The Kremlin has tried to justify the invasion by wrongly claiming that the government in Kiev has been hijacked by a group of Nazis. Mr Zelensky is of Jewish descent, his grandfather fought in the war and members of his extensive family died in the Holocaust.

Historical perspective

Western countries held their own victory day in Europe parties, but on Thursday. The difference stems from the time difference between Moscow and Berlin. The moment Nazi Germany signed his unconditional surrender, it was already in Moscow after midnight.

The difference has become a symbolic, in which the former allies and their parties are shared in two distinctive camps. Since 2023, for example, Ukraine has also been celebrating on 8 May, symbolizes a break with Russia and the Soviet past.

Victory Day’s meaning for Putin

Mr Putin has a deep personal history related to the Soviet victory on Nazi Germany. His brother Viktor died of diphtheria in an orphanage in the German siege of Leningrad during the Second World War and was buried there in a mass grave there. Mr Putin’s father was seriously injured and his mother almost died of hunger.

Mr Putin said that his parents had no hatred towards the Germans, but that it was different for his generation.

“We were raised on Soviet books, films,” Mr. Putin written. “And we hated it.”

Victory Day Parades in Russia

The first Victory Day parade was held in 1945, shortly after the capitulation of Germany. May 9 was declared a holiday. Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union at his time, then put an end to the parades until they were periodically reduced in 1965 (Stalin wanted to play the meaning of the victory in the Second World War and see potential political rivals in the Soviet General who had helped Germany.)

After 1965, the victory over Nazism gradually became the cornerstone of Soviet and Russian parotitic rituals. Yet the parades were only sporadically organized and it was only after 2008 that they became an annual grandiose showcase of military power.

The parade on Friday will also symbolize the reversal of Russia over the past two decades. In 2005 it was attended by many Western leaders, including President George W. Bush, who marked the Russia-US alliance during the war. But on Friday the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, will be the most important guest of honor.

Disruptions in Moscow

Moscow came to a halt in the days prior to the Parade. Airports were repeatedly closed due to Ukrainian drone attacks, creating chaos. Disturbances have affected more than 60,000 passengers, according to at the Russian Association of Travel Agencies.

In the city, the most important roads are blocked for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The cellular connection is repeatedly disrupted, causing the services of the city, including taxis and deliveries, to cause damage. Many companies were forced to close the Grand Rehearsal on Wednesday and the Parade itself on Friday.