When Russia gathers troops to commemorate Victory Day, it is using the past to try to justify its war against Ukraine

When Russia celebrated the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender in 2005, U.S. President George W.

This is the first time the US president participated in a Moscow event in World War II to commemorate the death of 27 million Soviet soldiers and civilians in the brutal Eastern Front.

At that time, it was framed as a testament to Russia's international influence and its position among the world's great powers.

This year, most leaders from Western countries are actively resisting what they consider to be a propaganda wonder, but Several others Will participate, including the presidents of China, Brazil and Venezuela. It is not clear whether US officials are participating.

“this Broadly speaking, the country that sent leaders was not part of the European World War II theater. ” Sam Greene is Professor of Russian Politics at King's College London and Director of Democratic Resilience at the European Center for Policy Analysis.

“[Putin] It is attracting him to his current geopolitical projects. ”

The Kremlin continues to push forward a vision for a multipolar world challenging the West, and so far, has refused to agree to the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States in Ukraine, instead using Victory Day to make the current war a just battle that Russia has no choice.

Redefine Victory Day

Thursday At the meeting Putin said in the case of Chinese President Xi Jinping that both countries are committed to “memorizing the memories of the war era and oppose today’s revival of neo-Nazism and militarism.”

It is a juxtaposition, which is done intentionally in the media and through patriotic displays installed across the country. Among dozens of Russian cities, billboards have been established showing what was called a “heart-warming” party after the end of World War II, which Russia calls a great patriotic war.

Other billboards have been lined up over the past few years, urging people to sign up for what Russia calls “special military operations” in Ukraine. Earlier this week, one of the channels produced a report in which a Ukrainian fighter interviewed veterans fighting for the Soviet Union.

The narrator notes that “only time” separates the two men, and the young Russian soldier will spend on the front line on May 9 “he will continue to defeat the enemy and bring the victory closer.”

Green said it was a deliberate effort to quell any public frustration over how long the war has been — even anger at the fact that Russian cities are now regularly hit by Ukrainian drones.

Very little public criticism

Given the severe crackdown on any opposition, there was little protest or objection in the Russian war against Ukraine. People spoke more freely abroad, including those who once fought for the Red Army and served the Soviet Union.

When it comes to opinions within Russia, CBC News searched through Russian social media platforms where public conversations about anniversary focused primarily on a sense of pride and belief in the final victory of the current war. CBC has been unable to report from within Russia since the government closed the broadcaster bureau in spring 2022.

In a public forum, people talked about Russia's plans to commemorate Victory Day with a three-day ceasefire, a move that saw it as a manipulative stunt, some agreed to Ukraine, others expressed distrust, while others expressed Russia's hope that Russia would fight harder.

One commentator said: “I don't understand Putin's logic, maybe he misunderstood our power.”

“If he's already started, it needs to be done.”

In another group, when a woman suggested that world leaders arriving in Moscow participate in a parade similar to “Feasts during the Plague,” other commentators piled up attacking her and questioning her loyalty.

Under Russian law, anyone can be punished for comments that are considered discredited, which is why criticism is rare and patriotism.

Historically, Victory Day talks revolved around losses and sacrifices, while Russia’s long-standing remarks were: “Let’s no war.”

Today, it is not uncommon to hear another phrase or see it sticking to a car on a bumper sticker: “We can do it again.”

This may mean we can go to Berlin again, but some will give a broader explanation and see it as a warning to Europe and the United States as a whole

“[Victory Day] From a conversation about commemoration to a more aggressive military posture. ”

The hero of Leningrad, now in Kyiv

It was a transition for the few survivors who fought for the Red Army or volunteered to participate in the Soviet war efforts and now find themselves living in the attacked city for the rest of their lives.

Hidden in the Kiev apartment are medals and awards received by 98-year-old Ludmyla Varska from the Soviet Union. Cruel siege of Leningradnow known as the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

During the two-year lockdown of the Axis Force, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, accounting for about one-third of the city's population, resulting in widespread hunger.

At that time, Varska was a teenager and used a bucket of sand to help put out the combustion bombs that were designed to ignite and burn buildings.

When the bomb hit, she and her mother and brother would run on the attic and rooftops on their streets.

Now, hearing bad noises, she rarely wakes up when she cries in the air raid sirens in Kiev at night. But when she does hear their voices or air-proof explosions, she shakes and is scared.

“It's so bad,” she told a freelancer who worked for CBC journalism on Thursday.

“I don't even understand… Many Ukrainians speak Russian, and there are many Ukrainians in Russia. ”

“Everyone is losing”

Varska said most of her family were killed in World War II and she eventually moved to Kiev with her husband. Despite her award, she has never participated in a victory parade in Russia, but learns why there are commemorative events to commemorate history.

“Let them celebrate…we should celebrate because we won,” she said.

Now, she says everyone is losing.

“Why does it happen…it's awful.”

In a village outside Kiev, Kuzma Samchenko, 99, believes that the world is in the next battle.

When German troops swept Ukraine in 1941, he was asked to fight the Soviet Union.

“During the war, I tried not to shoot because the soldiers on the other side were sent to the war like me,” he told CBC News in a telephone interview.

He said his voice became thrilled, saying he did not blame the soldiers ordered to advance, but politicians from both countries.

“The innocent are the ones who died in this war.”