We expect the reason for this will be twofold. To the average Russian, the government is something that happens to them, and not by them.ДЄt the May 9th parade Russians will see fewer troops and vehicles in the Russian capital on Tuesday. Not that public opposition to the war would mean much, Russia is not a democracy but a crony-Capitalist system leaning towards authoritarianism. Russians are said to have two personas, the one they wear in public where they ape support for the regime and the one at their kitchen table among family and trusted friends where they may speak their minds more freely. Putin has also cut off RussiaвЂ™s internet access to the winder world to prevent them from accessing Western media sources and social media platforms. Of course, open opposition to the regime in deed, speech, or print will get you arrested, which would stifle much of the dissent in the country. Support among the public is said to be strongest among those 45-65 years of age and weakest in the 18-44 age groups. The political climate in Russia currently is a mixed bag of pro-Putin individuals who support the invasion of Ukraine and those who are openly (and secretly) against Putin and his allies. The Russians have been engaged in their so-called вЂњspecial military operationвЂќ in Ukraine (most of the world calls it a war), which does get in the way of the celebrations not just physically but mentally too. 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade (, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons). Russian commanders have also said that the parades were celebrations for the Russian people and not necessarily a show of strong militarism. RussiaвЂ™s way of connecting its past to the current generation is through these parades. This is done to let the world know that they are actively developing weapons, posturing their supposed вЂњgreat militaryвЂќ with вЂњsuperiorвЂќ weaponry, as the majority of Russian fanatics would claim.ДЇrom a more societal perspective, these parades are done to remember history collectively as one nation, as all countries do in some form or way, albeit in different forms. Military observers familiar with the parade will know that this is the event where new Russian weapons (or those in development) are shown off to the public and for the world to see. It was continuously embedded in the Russian psyche throughout the decades, from Yeltsin to Putin, who takes large pride in their military capabilities. It was originally made a national holiday by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. As the name suggests, the Victory Day Parade is a celebration and commemoration of the Soviet win against Nazi Germany in World War II.

We have discussed the historical origins of the yearly military parade in our вЂњ Ukrainian Infantry DayвЂќ celebration article, where we compared the origins of the two. ThereвЂ™s a catch, though вЂ“ reports claim that the paradeвЂ™s military participants will be down by almost 35%.

As always, the Russians have plans to push through with their parade at the Red Square this year. May 9th is coming up, and huge celebrations are set in the streets of Russia for their annual May 9 Victory Day Parade.

May 9th victory day