Victory Day At 77

May 12

Russian servicemen march along Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow.

Categories:

A Recipe for War, Analysis of History, Current Events, Disinformation, Military History, Parallels to World War II, Personal History, Russo-Ukrainian War

Tags:

Connections to the Past, Understanding the Past, Weaponizing History, Repercussions of Events, Propaganda, Current Views, Family History, #A Recipe for War, #Ukraine, #War

May 12, 2022

One of the most vivid memories from my childhood is the 65th-anniversary celebration of the end of World War II, on Victory Day (May 9th), 2010. Our family watched a recording of the annual parade in Red Square in Moscow, as we did every year. Watching with us was my grandfather, a wounded veteran of the war. He was wearing his best suit, decorated with his many war medals. He also wore a soldier’s hat given to him after the war, as he had lost his original in combat. My grandmother told us of her most vivid memories from the war. We also had a small barbecue during the celebration. At one point, my grandfather told me something that will stay with me for the rest of my life: “War is hell. No matter what happens, war is never the answer.” His words encompassed the entire purpose of commemorating World War II. We weren’t celebrating the victory in battle, or even the survival of our family. We were celebrating the coming of peace that the end of World War II brought. For the last 77 years, people everywhere have been trying to keep that peace. While they weren’t averse to small conflicts, they always did everything that they could to prevent a worldwide war, because the memories of the previous ones were still fresh on everyone’s minds. Diplomats diligently worked to avoid this conflict. That’s why, for example, Henry Kissinger traveled to meet with all sides in every conflict that he negotiated an end to so that nobody would feel left out and try to restart the war due to frustration. One unlikely symbol of this way of thinking is the annual Victory Day Parade that occurs every May 9th in Moscow.

Victory Day in Russia and the annual parade in Moscow has changed greatly through the years. The recollections of my friends and family who lived in Soviet times contrast starkly with what happens in the parades of today. Once, the army generals in the parade rode on horses. Now, each one rides on an Aurus Cabriolet. During Soviet times, the same generals would always hold their hands in salute. Now, in a show of the complete lack of separation of Church and State in Russia, the generals cross themselves when passing under the gate to the Red Square. They would never have done this in the Soviet era. The iconic T-34 was once the most advanced tank that rolled through the square’s cobblestone streets. Now, the somewhat less-reputable T-90 takes center stage. However, it isn’t just these small details that have changed over time. The meaning, symbolism, and significance have also changed dramatically. In Soviet times, the parade was a celebratory occasion, but it was also a time of mourning. The memory of the destruction caused by the war and the millions of lives lost in the Soviet Union was still fresh on everyone’s minds. Back then, the tradition of the Immortal Regiment, in which ordinary citizens walk in massive parades across Russia with portraits of the veterans and casualties of the war, was a very sad one. Victory Day back then was more like Memorial Day in the United States, though on a larger scale. The main celebratory holiday back then was November 7, the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the parade tradition temporarily stopped, as it was a Soviet tradition, and the new Russian Federation simply didn’t have enough money for the parade. However, in 1995, Moscow hosted numerous world leaders who bore witness to massive celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. When Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power in the year 2000, he set out to make Victory Day and its parade an important part of Russian popular culture. He did so because no other day is such a powerful symbol of Russia’s past victories and current power, and there is no better opportunity than the annual parade to give his stance on various world issues. Putin made Victory Day go from being a day of mourning to a celebration of Russia’s victory and its enduring power and glory. The Immortal Regiment tradition is still in existence, but it’s become more of a celebration of the deeds of the ancestors of today’s Russians. Victory Day has become one of the most important days of the year in Russia, tied in importance and in the enormity of its celebrations only with the New Year and Christmas holidays. Meanwhile, the parade took on a new symbolism entirely. While many aspects remained the same, their meaning changed. The old Soviet weapons became symbols of Russian ingenuity. The nuclear weapons displayed at the parade were no longer the property of a superpower. Instead, their presence made it clear that today’s Russia was still as powerful, if not more powerful militarily than the Soviet Union ever was. The iconic flag that was raised above the Reichstag, carried in the parade by an honor guard every year, became a symbol of Russia’s commitment to fighting fascism, wherever it may be. This particular commitment is regularly highlighted throughout the parade, especially during the main speech.

In one of the most iconic photographs from World War II, a group of Soviet soldiers raise their country’s flag above the Berlin Reichstag, the symbol of German power. One of the flags raised above the Reichstag is paraded at the annual May 9th Victory Day Parade in Moscow.

One of the most important events in the annual parade is the speech given by Russia’s leader. I’ve watched these speeches numerous times. Some speeches were just a retelling of the history of World War II. However, recent speeches also contained some thinly veiled threats. In 2021, I remember watching Putin say that Russia still has enemies that it must defeat. This year, many observers predicted what Putin might say. Some expected him to announce an expansion of the war or a renewed offensive. Some expected him to take drastic measures to end the war or gain a major victory before May 9th. I myself wrote about this possibility in one of my first blog posts. Luckily, Putin didn’t take any drastic measures. Truth be told, he didn’t discuss the actual fighting of the war very much. He did spend plenty of time criticizing Russia’s “enemies,” though. He claimed that Russia had offered the West a chance to create a “security system” in December of 2021, but “the West did not heed…” In fact, he claimed that “In Kiev, there was talk of nuclear weapons, and [the threat] moved closer to our borders.” He claimed that the Ukrainians were preparing for war and that they even wanted to launch a genocide against the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Putin heavily emphasized a 2014 incident in which pro-Russian protesters in the Ukrainian city of Odessa clashed with pro-Ukrainian protesters, resulting in many deaths. This incident, he claimed, was proof of Ukraine’s “intentions”. Furthermore, he claimed that the United States approved of this and that its own satellite nations do nothing about its own “crimes.” Yet Putin’s claims were really nothing more than justifications for Russia’s actions. Gone are the nationalistic, threatening rants that Putin makes at massive rallies throughout Russia to support his cause. In fact, the remarkably conciliatory tone of much of the speech took me by surprise. It was certainly much less warlike than what many had expected. While Putin criticized the government of the United States, he lauded its World War II veterans. He claimed that some American veterans had wanted to attend the parade, but had been prevented from doing so by their government. He said that Russia thanked them for contributing to the shared victory of the Allied powers in World War II. He also thanked the “Chinese soldiers and partisans” for their role in the victory. This was definitely a nod to China’s current support of Russia. It is clear that Putin was calling for his allies, wherever they may be, to come and support him.

The importance of May 9th cannot be underestimated. It is a holiday that commemorates the victory of the Allies in World War II, while also remembering that war’s fallen. Numerous details of the parade have changed over the years, as have its symbolism, significance, and meaning. Yet one thing hasn’t changed. To this day, people cling to the hope that World War II was the last World War. In a way, the May 9th parade symbolizes this hope. The weapons display is a deterrent that Russia shows off, hoping that those same weapons won’t be used in a new global conflict. The speech that Russia’s leader makes every year often contains threats. However, these threats convey the message that it is better to agree with Russia rather than fight with it. And the conciliatory attitude of Putin’s speech made during this year’s Victory Day shows that Russia still clings to the hope that its Allies will support it, and that peace with them can be preserved. In the minds of people today, “war is hell.” As a result, a world war is off the table for world leaders and nations everywhere. I hope and pray that this situation will never be changed.