![]() Since 1965, Victory Day has been increasingly celebrated as a ‘happy’ holiday. ![]() Thus, it took two decades for the USSR to come to terms with the enormous catastrophe of WWII. Apparently, Soviet authorities decided to boost ‘patriotism’ and manifest Soviet glory with the use of the victory over Nazism. On, he organised the second Victory Parade on Moscow’s Red Square. In 1965, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev declared Victory Day a public holiday. Today’s slogan flashed by Russian leaders that ‘We can repeat it’ would have seemed barbaric and unacceptable as society was in a deep post-war shock for years. The Parade took place only once, in 1945. Within the first two post-war decades, there were no large-scale public celebrations of Victory Day. In this context, 9 May was a regular working day until 1965. The Soviet people, especially in the western parts including Ukraine and Belarus, paid for this war with tens of millions of casualties, enormous destruction, and suffering. Victory had been achieved, but at a terrible and catastrophic price. Immediately after the War, Soviet authorities and the Soviet population apparently believed that there was little to celebrate on 9 May. In 1945, 9 May was declared a public holiday in the USSR, a status that it kept only until 1947. On, a large fireworks display in Moscow commemorated the defeat of Nazi Germany, while a historical Victory Parade on Red Square took place on 24 June 1945. ![]() In the Soviet Union, the public commemoration of Victory Day was limited, especially before 1965. The scale and intensity of World War II’s glorification and of the Kremlin as an eternal defender against ‘Nazism’ have become unprecedented. Strikes against energy or military installations further and further into Russian territory and sabotage of railroads have also increased in recent weeks.Since 2008, Victory Day celebrations of the defeat over Nazi Germany have become yearly and has turned into what some Russian opposition observers call ‘Victory Madness’ ( победобесие). The most striking reminder of this was the attack on a Kremlin building by two drones on May 3, described by Moscow as an assassination attempt against Putin and behind which Russian diplomacy saw the involvement of Washington. For the last Russians still inclined to believe in the myth of the "special operation," the reality is becoming difficult to ignore: Not only is a war raging in Ukraine but it has reached the national territory. This grave tone, like the appearance of the word "war" in the president's lexicon, has a degree of logic. The security of the country depends on you, the future of our state and our people depends on you (.) We pray for you." Putin spoke directly to the participants of the "special military operation" against Ukraine who were present on the podium or in the parade: "There is nothing more important now than your combat work. While the outline of Putin's speech was a carbon copy of the one delivered a year earlier, the tone this time was more serious. Once again, a real war has been unleashed against our motherland," said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the opening of the celebrations of the 78 th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany on Tuesday, May 9. "Today, civilization is once again at a turning point. ![]() The splendor of the uniforms shining in the sun as well as the magnificence of the "hurrahs" shouted by thousands of chests might have given a reassuring feeling of continuity, but the danger is at the doors of Russia. Subscribers only Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 9, 2023. The Kremlin limited the scope of the celebrations of the victory against Nazi Germany, the most popular celebration in Russia and the foundation of national unity.īy Benoît Vitkine (Moscow (Russia) correspondent) Published on May 9, 2023, at 12:54 pm (Paris), updated on May 9, 2023, at 1:00 pm Putin marks Victory Day by condemning ‘war launched’ against Russia
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