But the unified front praised by Putin and amplified by Russian state media is only part of the story. For part of Russian society, Victory Day is a painful annual reminder of the current war in Ukraine, which they see as tarnishing their country’s reputation and distorting its history, as well as that of their families.
“For me, it is not a celebration but a day of mourning,” said Valeria, 20, whose father was mobilized. Like others cited in this article, she declined to give her full name, fearing reprisals if she spoke out.
“The essence of this day was that there should never be war again – this is what our ancestors gave their lives for. But somehow the exact opposite is happening.
She and a small group of like-minded people gathered at the Poklonnaya Gora war memorial site in Moscow on Thursday, the coldest May 9 since 1945, wearing white scarves or carrying white flowers or ribbons, anti-war protest symbols.
Some were approached by police and asked for their documents, but no one was arrested, the group said in an online post.
“There can be no parallel between the two wars,” a young woman who identified herself as Alla, another relative of someone fighting at the front, told POLITICO. “And I cannot wait for today’s war to end, in dialogue and peace.”
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