World War II commemoration: Memory in times of war – Kyiv disturbs Putin’s victory parade

With victory and peace, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin cannot serve in Russia’s Holy holiday on the 80th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. A sea of ​​blood-red flags, huge orange-black striped Georgs bands and other world war symbols characterize the cityscape in Moscow. Putin’s large military parade This Friday on the Red Square is forgotten that the country, which celebrates victory in World War I on May 9, has been the cause of the greatest bloodshed in Europe since then. But Russia’s war of attack against Ukraine with the hundreds of thousands of dead and injured overshadow the memory.

If Putin marches more than 10,000 soldiers and lets tanks and rockets roll through Moscow, this is a demonstration of power. For the weapons show, he expects state and government heads from around 20 countries, including the main guest of China’s state and party leader Xi Jinping. In order to celebrate undisturbed – without the Ukrainian drone attacks that are just noticeable again in Moscow, Putin has ordered a three -day break. In Kyiv, however, President Wolodymyr Selenskyj rejects this as a “theater production”.

Selenskyj in front of a Kremlin in flames

His Chancellor Andrij Jermak published a picture of Selenskyjs at Telegram who looks at a Kremlin, which is in flames. Moscow reacts as irritated at the push of a button. In the event of an attack on the most important national holiday, Russia threatens Ukraine with unprecedented retaliation.

The Russian political scientist Alexander Baunow, who lives in exile, sees Selenskyj’s threat of attacking Moscow and disturbing the victory celebrations, no direct danger to the parade, but the calculation, citizens and foreign guests. The peace -loving forces in Russia will not strengthen this, says Baunow. On the contrary. This week, too, Moscow airports had to close again at times because of the drone attacks.

Putin cannot keep the promise of victory

At the same time, Putin remains guilty of the promised victory in the war against Ukraine after more than three years, writes Baunow near Telegram. The Kremlin chief had just sold the “liberation” of the Russian region of Kursk as victory. But according to Kyiv, the Ukrainian army continues to fight for troops in the Russian field.

For Putin there is no reason for Putin despite constant terrain in Ukraine. Despite the western sanctions, the country is economically comparatively good. The war economy helps with the high -speed armaments industry that artificially creates growth. But the economic problems are increasing because there is hardly any investments and the industry lacks access to western technology and new know-how.

Separate world war memory

Above all, however, the militarily stronger country did not manage to force the defensive Ukraine to its knees even in the fourth year of the war. In the West, this is also recognized as a defense lawyer of peace and freedom in the West, while Russian officials are annoyed that, for example, they are officially undesirable in the honors of the liberators of National Socialism.

The Russian hurray patriotism for the memory of World War I and increasing militarization is supposed to cover this. Because Putin justifies his war against Ukraine with a fight against a “Nazi regime” in Kiev, sociologists complain about an open abuse of memory of the Second World War for political purposes. The power apparatus in Moscow also speaks of preparation for an even greater conflict with the West and above all with NATO.

Historian: No enthusiasm at Russians for Putin’s war

The historian Matthias Uhl, who worked for years in the German historical institute, which has now been banned in Moscow, sees damage to the history picture. “Nothing remained of the liberator mission of the Soviet Union in World War II after the war against Ukraine,” he says in the conversation. “All other winning powers are also missing from the parade.” Now dignitaries come from Africa and South America to “at least create a compensation,” says Uhl.

“It is becoming more and more a happening, pure heroic history that hides everything that does not fit in this picture,” says the expert. Criticism of the officially dictated history is as taboo as resistance to Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine. “Most Russians have no ideological enthusiasm for the war against Ukraine,” says Uhl. “Unlike in World War II, the mobilization of soldiers only runs through financial incentives.”

Ukraine asks for weapons and relies on drones

The Ukraine, on the other hand,, which itself made its contribution to the Soviet victory over Hitler Germany, continues to fight for their survival. Selenskyj repeatedly demands the ceasefire proposed by the USA for 30 days and asks the West for weapons to continue to defend itself against Russia’s attacks.

It is also clear to him that a military reconquest of the areas controlled by Russia, which almost make up a fifth of the state area, is unrealistic in view of the balance of power. So far, however, the Ukrainian defenders prevent a strategic breakthrough of the Russians that could force Kiev to surrender.

At the same time, the Ukrainian army has massive problems to find new soldiers. There are many flags. Even a financially attractive recruitment program for previously spared 18 to 24 year olds did little success. The monthly needs of commander -in -chief Olexander Syrskyj with 30,000 soldiers.

Kyiv therefore put great hopes on his drone program to compensate for the missing soldiers. The aim of Selenskyjs is to stop Russia and at least get a stalemate along the front line without legal recognition of Russian conquests. But that can hardly be done without foreign support.

An end of the war is currently not in sight. Putin has so far hardly been accommodated by US President Donald Trump, who wants to end bloodshed. The Kremlin boss Trump’s demands for direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv agreed. But Putin first demands that Selenskyj resolve a decree about the ban on such direct conversations.

“Putin decides everything: to use even more (or all) violence – or to set the previous conquests in the course of negotiations,” says political scientist Baunow. The Kremlin boss could do without further conquests if he reaches an end to the sanctions in exchange.

The sociologist Denis Wolkow from the independent Moscow opinion research institute Lewada continues to see the strong wish of the Russians after an end of the war and negotiations. At the same time, it determines a certain getting used to. Because war events are far away for most Russians and their lives have continued or even improved, they look over a lot – even about the growing numbers of the war dead on the Russian side.