All articles tagged with #immortal regiment
Russian authorities have canceled Victory Day parades in at least 24 cities amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Families of fallen soldiers were instructed to change the custom of honoring the "Immortal Regiment" with public gatherings, asked instead to place pictures of the dead in car windows to reduce the chance of publicly acknowledging current Russian military deaths in Ukraine.
Moscow is preparing for Victory Day on May 9 with decorations, public memorials, and a children's Immortal Regiment event. Victory Day is a significant holiday for Russia, invoking the Soviet Union's World War II victory to rally patriotism. However, this year's Immortal Regiment march has been called off due to security concerns. The preparations come as Russia remains involved in a 14-month war in Ukraine.
Several Russian cities have announced they will scale back this year's Victory Day celebrations, citing security reasons and attacks from pro-Ukrainian forces. The Immortal Regiment procession, which sees people across the country marching holding photographs of their relatives who fought in World War Two, will be held in other formats for security reasons. The parade of military equipment on Moscow's Red Square will be strictly closed off to the public. Some have argued that the reduced events show the Kremlin is nervous about celebrations turning into shows of dissent against its invasion of Ukraine.
Victory Day celebrations in Russia have been scaled back due to security concerns amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. The national Immortal Regiment parade has been cancelled, and parades and public gatherings across the country have been called off. The Kremlin's efforts to inflate Russian military might have run up against its need to conceal the enormous costs in lives and equipment that Russia has paid since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The glorification of Soviet sacrifices in defeating Germany has been a cornerstone of Russia's nationalist resurgence during Putin's decades in power.
The UK Ministry of Defense has said that the Kremlin is struggling to maintain its rhetoric comparing its invasion of Ukraine with the Soviet fight against the Nazis during World War Two. The cancelation of this year's Immortal Regiment Great Patriotic War remembrance marches due to "safety" issues is seen as an attempt to avoid highlighting the scope of recent Russian losses. The decision to nix Immortal Regiment marches follows the cancelation of Victory Day events in several regions. The British MOD noted that the Russian state is struggling to maintain consistency in a core narrative that it uses to justify the war in Ukraine.
The British Defense Ministry, citing intelligence, claims that the cancellation of this year's "Immortal Regiment" events in Russia was due to concerns that participants would highlight the scope of recent Russian losses. The Kremlin is trying to maintain consistency in its narrative justifying the war on Ukraine, claiming it is similar to the Soviet experience in World War 2. The leader of the Wagner terrorist group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, publicly expressed doubts about the presence of "Nazis" in Ukraine, going against Russia's justification for the war. Russian authorities continue to unify the public around polarizing myths about the 1940s.