Russia V Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech on Victory Day, marking the end of World War II, was largely devoid of the threats of extreme escalation in Ukraine that Western analysts warned of, but it was still a heavy-handed attempt to rewrite both historical and current events, including his military’s conduct in the former soviet state. After criticising NATO’s efforts to expand into Ukraine, which prior to the war were almost non-existent, Putin made baseless claims that Ukraine had been attempting to acquire nuclear weapons. His most outlandish claim, however, was that Nato members had been “actively taking military control of territories adjacent to” Russia, and that “Russia repelled this aggression”, even though it was only a figment of his imagination.

The reality, however, remains that Russia invaded a country that was not threatening it, expecting a cakewalk that would help accomplish Putin’s dream of reviving the Soviet Union, or at least retaking control over its component countries. Instead, the war is turning into Putin’s Afghanistan, as the Ukrainians have shown remarkable resilience in withstanding the Russian onslaught, despite also facing several attacks on civilians and other alleged war crimes. The UN and other international monitors estimate deaths of over 3,000 civilian and up to 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers. However, the death toll on the Russian side is even higher, with estimates of over 10,000 Russian soldiers and mercenaries killed.

In the past, Victory Day in Moscow featured several world leaders joining in the celebration of victory over the Nazis. This year, Putin stood alone; and world leaders, including Russian allies of yesteryear, have instead been flocking to Ukraine to show support for President Volodymyr Zelensky. In his own Victory Day address, given while walking through the streets of Kyiv, Zelensky said, “We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II”, before taking a jab at Putin, by saying, “Very soon, there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine — and someone won’t have any.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2022.

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