Victory Day, marking the Soviet triumph over the Nazis, was once again a source of great fanfare and attention in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. The day brought, as in the past, military parades and solemn remembrances. And, as has often happened in the past, he delivered an exciting presidential speech that conveyed great strength and determination in the modern battle against Hitler’s successors.
The reversal of this May 9 was that the inspiring speech did not come from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who proposed a dirty, slogan-repeating speech, but from the man who has led efforts for more than two months to deny Russia the expected victory in Ukraine. Vladimir Zelensky.
In fact, the Ukrainian president’s speech revealed the emptiness of both Putin’s words and the pomp of the Red Square military parade, with which Russia has traditionally held a major muscle-building show for the world.
Both presidents recalled the Nazis, describing their opponents in the current war. But when Putin said that his nation was “fighting so that no one would forget the lessons of World War II so that there would be no place in the world for executioners, punishers and Nazis,” his words were bitter reminders that he had made Russia. which once showed such courage in defeating Hitler’s armies as heirs to the Nazi legacy of causeless brutality.
Zelenski did just that in a speech that showed the oratory gifts the world expects from a comedian and media entrepreneur who has become president. Calling Putin insane, he denounced his Russian counterpart and adversary as “the one who today repeats the horrific crimes of the Hitler regime.”
In a carefully crafted video message, Zelensky’s thought was inevitable: Russia’s efforts are doomed precisely because Putin has not only forgotten the lessons of World War II, but also because he has desecrated and misused the memory of its victims and heroes.
Zelensky’s video was categorical and did not include flashes and poses on the Russian “holiday.” But in this simplicity and rigor, he exposed the falsity and betrayal of Russia’s parades.
“The reality is that it’s hard to organize a good old-fashioned celebration of Victory Day when you lose.”
Russia can gather troops in freshly ironed uniforms and demonstrations of military equipment. But it was clear that there were fewer troops and weapons today than a little over two months ago. The range of military equipment on display was far more limited, and Putin has made rare public confessions about fallen Russian soldiers since escalating his eight-year attack on Ukraine in February.
Putin reiterated his often debunked accusations that Ukrainians and the West were responsible for the current war. But the speech was perhaps more remarkable for what was not said.
Some Western analysts expected Putin to use the case to announce a major escalation of the conflict. But not only has this not happened, but his return to outdated nationalist rhetoric also suggests that this may be an exhausting leader.
Questions were also raised about the fact that the planned overflight of Russian military aircraft did not take place due to “weather conditions” … on a perfectly beautiful May day in Moscow. However, the Ukrainian government was ready to fill the gap by releasing its own video, mocking the Russian parade, which included a wide range of Russian military helicopters and military vehicles doing what the Russians did so often in Ukraine, hauling stolen Ukrainian laundry and other household appliances at home.
The reality is that it is difficult to organize a good old-fashioned celebration of Victory Day when you lose.
Who knows what celebrations Putin may have once planned for this week, when he first began his invasion. Perhaps he hoped the parade would include booty of victory, weapons, and possibly a celebration in front of his generals in Kyiv, who had returned to his “legitimate” place as part of Greater Russia. But there was very little good news for Putin to celebrate, given his defeats and huge losses in Ukraine.
Putin did not help when he repeated the language of the losers elsewhere on the planet (especially here in the United States), speaking of a “culture of abolition” and ridiculing references to “traditional values.”
In Ukraine, meanwhile, evidence of a different kind of spirit has emerged this week, not only through Zelensky’s speeches, but also visits to such diverse luminaries as Bono of U2 (who performed at a metro station) and US First Lady Jill Biden.
This does not mean that the Russian military has not made progress in Ukraine. This led to some gains in the East, and the consequences for Ukraine itself were devastating. However, even the response to these losses shows proof of spirit, resilience and a level of global support, which gives Ukraine a clear advantage on this Victory Day. Reconstruction is already under way, and Western countries are considering ways to fund broader reconstruction efforts that will require hundreds of billions of dollars to complete. (Offering a sense of public outrage against Russia in Europe, the country’s ambassador to Poland was drenched in blood-red liquid at a memorial service there.)
As the echo of war music fades in Red Square on Victory Day in 2022, so do the illusions that Putin was trying to evoke in his speech on Russian glory and his false war.
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