Moscow’s
dismissed speculation that Russia is planning a declaration of all-out war
against Ukraine on the 9th of may our correspondent Ross Atkins has been
exploring the importance of this date known as victory day as well as its symbolism
and its historical significance.
The
9th of may is victory day in Russia it commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany
in 1945. and in recent years victory day has been marked with a military parade
in Moscow this is 2021 Steve Rosenberg was there under Vladimir Putin victory
day has become the central pillar of a new and around the idea of Russia as the
besieged fortress surrounded by enemies and threatened by the west now.
This
year may the 9th takes on even more significance as jenny hill explains a lot
of analysts had thought that's when Vladimir Putin might want to present the Russian
people with an historic victory all of his own in Ukraine to understand why
victory day matters so much we have to go back to the evening of the 8th of may
1945. Germany formally surrendered ending the second world war in Europe different
time zones meant it was the 9th of may in Moscow but the conflict had already
claimed millions of soviet lives 27 million according to a government estimate
many died in battles on the eastern front known as the great patriotic war in Russia
many more civilians were killed by famine and disease and by Nazi atrocities overcoming
the Nazis was and is a source of huge national pride and it helps.
Explain
why Putin has used false claims about Nazi in Ukraine to justify this year's
invasion. What the regime is doing is using the memory of the war the very deep
feelings it arouses to legitimize its actions not just in Ukraine but in many
other places as well and in the eyes of the west these emotional connections
between a past war and a present one are creating an expectation the Russian military
commanders are under huge political pressure from Vladimir Putin to deliver a an
outcome before they may the ninth parade in Moscow Russia denies.
This
its foreign minister Sergey flavor says our soldiers won't base their actions
on a specific date the Kremlin says we will celebrate it the way we always do
and certainly the rehearsals in Moscow look familiar but president zelinski of Ukraine
thinks we'll see a difference this war has already weakened Russia.
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