According to Russian propagandists, the West provoked the conflict in Ukraine and abetted the Ukrainian “fascist” forces, while Russia stood by “ours,” who are alternately referred to as Russian speakers, ethnic Russians, and compatriots. This year, the celebration is especially magnificent, both because it is the seventieth anniversary and because of last year’s annexation of Crimea and the ongoing armed conflict in Donbas. In 2006, a Kremlin aide called it the “single undisputed basis for the Russian national myth.” The victory over Nazi Germany has long been perceived as Russia’s greatest achievement, and, as the living memory of it fades, the official celebration gets ever grander. The risks for all participants must be kept to a minimum, and better excluded.On Saturday, Russia marks Victory Day with a military parade broadcast by the major TV networks, a ceremonial reception at the Kremlin, patriotic speeches, fireworks, and events across the country. Putin said: “I order you to ensure the strictest security standards while preparing for the parade. Several dozen Russian regions have begun relaxing coronavirus quarantine measures, but the country is still identifying between 8,000 and 9,000 cases of coronavirus each day. In several regions, a considerable number of deaths ascribed to pneumonia have not been counted among Russia’s official tally of coronavirus deaths. Officials have boasted about low mortality rates for the disease in Russia, although they have warned that death rates from the virus would rise considerably in new data published this month. Russia has the third largest outbreak of coronavirus in the world behind the US and Brazil, with nearly 350,000 total cases reported. Shoigu told Putin on Tuesday that in total 5,500 Russian soldiers had fallen ill with coronavirus since March. The Proekt investigative website reported that more than 376 Russian cadets had fallen ill after the rehearsals, although that has not been confirmed by Russia’s military. Video from the training grounds leaked in early April showed thousands of soldiers in formation. In April the military said it had quarantined more than 10,000 soldiers, after they had remained at a training grounds outside of Moscow until mid-April, weeks after local officials had instituted distancing measures. So far the leaders of Moldova and Kazakhstan have confirmed they will attend the rescheduled event. The event is an important public and political holiday and the Kremlin had hoped to host the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and China’s Xi Jinping at the parade. ![]() Putin was forced to postpone the 9 May parade in April after it became clear the Covid-19 pandemic would make celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany a health hazard. Putin also said he hoped the country could hold “Immortal Regiment” marches in late July, where nearly 1 million Russians gather in public to march holding images of family members who fought in the war. He noted that the new date matched the “legendary, historic” Victory Day parade of 1945. “I order preparations to begin for the military parade in honour of the 75th anniversary of Victory Day in the capital, Moscow, and in other cities,” Putin said, adding that the situation “in the country as a whole, in most regions and in the armed forces is stable”. Photograph: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images Soldiers march through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow in May 2019.
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