A day off is supposed to be a rest from work, but it is also a rest from politics and news. But it was clear that for them today was, first of all, a day off. I felt strained by the high spirits of the people who were going to the same place as me, to the “Immortal Regiment” action. Sitting on the metro, I thought about how the general spirit of celebration on 9 May should not - and cannot - cancel the reality of war.
How wrong I was! Today I learned that Victory Day is a decisive attack on political memory. Then, in the era of depoliticisation, I thought that the memory of the war would guarantee people’s interest in politics. As a ceremonial concert played, I thought: all this vulgarity of Victory Day still cannot cancel its authenticity, its greatness! No matter how many stupid ceremonies you have, there is something indestructible to this holiday. When I was on my way into the centre, I recalled how I woke up on 9 May a few years back in another city. Moscow, Researcher of political movements (anonymous) Originally set up by liberal journalists, the event’s aim is to commemorate people who took part in the Second World War, with participants carrying pictures of relatives and or family friends. The real figures are likely to be much higher.Īcross the country, people marked Victory Day by taking part in the ‘Immortal Regiment’, an event staged in major cities across Russia on this day each year. Since 24 February, 3,381 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, according to the UN. “An absolutely unacceptable threat was growing, and directly on our borders,” he claimed. Vladimir Putin’s speech in Moscow concentrated on how NATO had allegedly built up a military presence in Ukraine – and that the Ukrainian government had declared an interest in acquiring nuclear weapons. But the Kremlin, it seems, decided to focus on justifying the invasion of Ukraine, though rumours of mobilisation continue. Many feared big announcements on 9 May, including mass or partial mobilisation. At the official level, Russia’s Victory Day looks to have been a souped-up affair with symbols of the war on Ukraine.
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