D-Day: Find out what history is for Russia and why it’s putting the West on alert | Globalism

The commemoration with a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square is especially symbolic this year. As the war continues UkraineFewer tanks and military equipment should participate in the traditional event. However, the patriotic fervor must remain as it has always been. In 2022, D-Day will not honor a conflict that ended just 77 years ago. Many Russians will think of the troops fighting in the neighboring country, and invading Ukraine It should not go unnoticed by the Russian government.

In recent weeks, the intelligence services of many Western countries have indicated that the Kremlin wants to celebrate May 9th with a major victory in the war in Ukraine. After an unsuccessful attempt to invade Kyiv and other major cities in northern Ukraine, the Russian government shifted the epicenter of the conflict, moving troops to the Donbass region, where the pro-Russian separatist rebels are.Russia army fight Ukraine Since 2014 – the conflict that erupted after the annexation of Crimea by Moscow.

However, in recent days, the Russian authorities have reduced expectations of a significant military success until Victory Day, although they did not refrain from celebrating the date with the pomp and circumstances of other years – with the traditional military parade in Moscow to expose the army. Probably. Even during the pandemic, celebrations were not canceled, only postponed.

The Kremlin refused to attack Ukraine war and uses the term “special military operation”, claiming that it was necessary to defend Russian speakers in the region. Western politicians and observers believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the date to formally declare war on the neighboring country and bolster the country’s national commitment. Russia with the invasion.

This Wednesday (05/04) Moscow denied this intention. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said speculation about the national mobilization decision was absurd.

May 9 is one of the most important holidays in Russia It salutes the massive Soviet effort to defeat Nazi Germany. An estimated 27 million Soviet citizens were killed in World War II. The conflict destroyed many regions of the Soviet Union, caused great suffering and left a deep scar in the national psyche.

On May 8, 1945, the Allies defeated the Nazi regime, ushering in the end of World War II. In countries under the influence of the former Soviet Union, from 1967 onwards, Victory Day began to be celebrated on May 9, the date of the surrender of the Nazi forces to the Soviet forces, and became an official holiday. Most Western European countries celebrate Victory Day on May 8th.

Politicians and the Kremlin have used the celebration to encourage national pride and emphasize the role of Russia as a global power. In previous years, Putin used history to incite the West and demonstrate the firepower of Russian forces. Tanks, fighter jets and ICBMs carrying nuclear warheads were displayed at the military parade in Moscow.

This year, Putin promised a military parade with more than 10,000 soldiers, 62 combat aircraft and 15 combat helicopters. During the ceremony, eight MiG-29 fighter jets should write the letter Z in the sky, a symbol adopted by supporters of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many analysts say Putin must still use the opportunity to advance his narrative of a leader forced into a war to protect the interests of the Russian-speaking population.

Military parade in Mariupol

Victory Day is celebrated by most republics belonging to the Soviet Union, as well as many countries that were under its influence. This year, because of the war in UkraineSeveral countries are planning more modest and secret celebrations.

He stated that a Russian military parade was being organized in Mariupol Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Military Information Service, Deputy Director of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergei Kirienko is in the city to prepare for the parade.

The Ukrainian authorities said in a statement that the city will be one of the centers of the celebrations. “The main roads have been urgently cleared, and the wreckage and corpses of the dead, as well as unexploded ordnance, will be removed.” The text adds that Russian viewers will see reports of the “joy” of the residents of Mariupol when the Russians arrived in their town.

According to the Ukrainian service, a “large-scale propaganda campaign is underway” among the city’s population, whose number is now estimated by the authorities at 100,000-120,000, down from about half a million before the war.

Located on the Sea of ​​Azov, Mariupol is one of the main goals of the Russians in an attempt to fully control the Donbass region and form a land corridor in the east of the country. Ukrainefrom the Crimea, annexed by Russia In 2014. The city is almost completely under the control of the Russian army. Only the huge Azovstal metal complex, where the last Ukrainian fighters and some civilians were holed up, was not completely captured by Russian troops.