On May 9, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the Victory Day military parade on Red Square in downtown Moscow, Russia, to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
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As the war with Ukraine enters its third year, Russia kicked off its 79th “Victory Day” parade on Thursday.
The annual event on May 9 commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, with thousands of Russian troops and military equipment marching through Moscow’s Red Square and other events taking place across Russia.
The parade is not only an opportunity for pomp, pride and ceremony but also for propaganda, with the Kremlin keen to compare the Red Army’s 1945 victory to the conflict in Ukraine, now in its third year.
Russian President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Putin reviewed the military parade for the 21st time, with more than 9,000 people and more than 70 pieces of equipment on display.
Russian paratroopers march during the Victory Day Red Square military parade in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2023. Victory Day was celebrated with a parade in Moscow after a new wave of strikes across Ukraine.
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“Infantry columns include regiments, battalions and companies divided by types of troops and arms, personnel from Suvorov (military school), Nakhimov (naval school), cadets and music schools, young army men, women soldiers, Cossacks (trainee) and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told RIA Novosti last week.
Participants in “Special Military Operations” – the code name for Russia’s war in Ukraine – also participated in the march this year, he said. The parade ended with a flyover by the Russian Air Force aerobatic team.
The Russian Defense Minister said that ceremonies and celebrations were also held in other Russian cities, with an estimated 150,000 people participating, involving 2,500 types of weapons and military equipment.
Yars Ballistic Missile participates in the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2022.
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Relations with the West deteriorate
Relations between Russia and the West had deteriorated even before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the rift has deepened since then. The war has led to a doubling of international sanctions against Russia and a more deeply divided global alliance, pitting NATO countries against Russia and its allies such as North Korea, Iran and China.
A woman looks among the ruins of a bombed-out building in the town of Kostyantinivka, Donetsk region, April 11, 2024, during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Anatoly Stepanov/AFP) (Photo by Anatoly Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)
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Moscow claims that the West wants to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow, but Ukraine’s allies reject this claim, saying that they are helping Kiev defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression and territorial grabs, which at least makes Kiev lose its sense of security. 30,000 Ukrainian civilians killed or injured (This number is probably conservative) and created more than six million refugees, According to United Nations data.
Russia’s Harvest
This year’s parade comes as Russian forces are making increasing gains in eastern Ukraine, with another major offensive expected in early summer, according to military officials.
Ukrainian forces have been forced to retreat in some areas over the past few weeks, opening the way for Russian forces to advance in the area around Avdievka in Donetsk. victory. On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that two other villages in Donetsk and its neighboring northern region of Kharkov had been captured (Russia uses the word “liberated”).
Ahead of Victory Day, Ukrainian military officials claim Russian troops The goal is to capture the strategic town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk before May 9, but that hasn’t happened yet. Capturing the city’s commanding heights could help Russian forces launch offensives against other key targets, including the so-called “fortress cities” of Kostiandinivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Time is of the essence for Russian forces as they hope to capture more territory before Ukrainian forces can replenish supplies of artillery and ammunition that have been reduced following the approval of a long-awaited $61 billion U.S. aid package in April.
However, Ukraine continues to remind Russia that it is not immune to attacks on its own soil, with a growing number of drone and missile strikes targeting Russia’s own energy infrastructure, particularly along its borders.
But manpower remains an issue in Ukraine, and Russia has been able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people, including prisoners and conscripts, to fight in Ukraine. When Putin was asked during his annual conference call in December if there would be another swingman, he was dismissive, It is claimed that 480,000 people have voluntarily signed up to fight.
Russia has used its superiority in manpower to deadly effect, with the fighting in eastern Ukraine often described as a “meat grinder” as wave after wave of Russian soldiers try to overwhelm Ukrainian forces.
Russia and Ukraine have not released official death toll figures since the early days of the war, but a declassified U.S. intelligence report in December showed that the war had killed or injured at least 315,000 Russian soldiers. nbc news report.
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