Russia’s WWII victory celebrations are muted this year as Ukraine war weighs on Putin
Tensions are high as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday on Saturday, with fears about security amid the war with Ukraine and signs of domestic discontent casting a shadow over annual celebrations in Moscow’s Red Square.
A unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia announced for Friday and Saturday quickly unraveled. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued fighting, just as they did when Ukraine’s own unilateral ceasefire swiftly collapsed earlier in the week.
The accusations reflect the deep-seated lack of trust between the two sides more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. That has thwarted US-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement.
Ukraine’s new drone and missile technology has helped it hit deep inside Russia frequently and accurately in recent months, especially major oil facilities.
Meanwhile, rumblings of unhappiness with some of the Kremlin’s wartime policies have put the spotlight on Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is due to make a speech on Saturday to mark Victory Day. It commemorates victory over Nazi Germany 81 years ago in the Second World War and has in the past provided an opportunity for fanfare and national fervour as well as showcasing Russia’s military might.
This year is different. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Friday that its forces in Ukraine “completely ceased combat operations and remained at their previously occupied lines and positions” from midnight, when Putin’s unilateral ceasefire came into force.
But it accused Ukrainian forces of continuing to strike Russian positions as well as civilian infrastructure in border areas of the Belgorod and the Kursk regions.
Air defences shot down 390 Ukrainian drones and six Neptune long-range guided missiles aimed at Russia after midnight, according to the ministry.
A Ukrainian drone strike hit the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch in Rostov-on-Don, forcing 13 airports in the south of the country to suspend operations, Russia’s Transport Ministry said.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky had a different story. Russian forces continued attacking on the front line overnight, he said, while Ukrainian air defence forces shot down 56 Russian drones.
“All this clearly shows that there was not even a pretence of a ceasefire attempt from the Russian side,” Mr Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky also claimed on Friday another Ukrainian long-range strike on a Russian oil sector facility, this time in the Yaroslavl region, more than 700km (400 miles) from the border. He didn’t specify when the attack happened.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that Moscow would take decisive action – including a potential mass strike on Kyiv – if Ukrainian attacks disrupt official events scheduled for Saturday.
“We have strengthened our focus on the possibility of retaliatory measures,” presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists on Thursday.
