Last week (May 8–14), Ukraine rejected the Soviet-inspired tradition of celebrating Victory Day on May 9. It caused hysteria and sharp criticism among Russian politicians.
Russia held a modest parade in Moscow, with almost no military equipment or sensational statements. Instead, Ukraine continues to advocate for its accession to the EU and NATO and calls for increasing the supply of weapons for a counteroffensive.
Russian images for "Day of Victory" and Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Kyiv
One of the last Russian-Soviet patterns in Ukraine – Victory Day on May 9 – was destroyed last week. Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a bill proposing establishing May 8 as the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War of 1939–1945.
“On May 8, the world commemorates the memory of all those whose lives were taken by that war. It is a pure history without ideological impurities. And this is the history of our people, our allies, of the entire free world,” the President said.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said that the Parliament would consider the presidential initiative as soon as possible.
Volodymyr Zelensky also signed a decree according to which Ukraine will celebrate Europe Day on May 9. “We will honor our historic unity – the unity of all Europeans who destroyed Nazism and will defeat racism.”
Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, said "The Soviet regime, which together with the Nazi regime unleashed the bloodiest war in the world, continued to exist and took credit for the victory. The seeds of Soviet ideology nourished racism in Russia. And it is Russia that has now unleashed the biggest war since World War II.”
European Commission spokeswoman, Dana Spinant, welcomed Ukraine's decision to celebrate Europe Day on May 9: “This is a reflection of the European identity of the Ukrainian people.” As a sign of support for our state, the state flag of Ukraine was hoisted near the building of the European Commission on Europe Day.
In response to domestic initiatives, Russian officials had an absolute hysteria. State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky called Volodymyr Zelensky “a traitor and a Jew” who “betrayed his grandfather” and “sold the fraternal Ukrainian people of the West for 30 pieces of silver.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said the Ukrainian President was "a new incarnation of Judas in the 21st century” and “a henchman of fascists 80 years later.”
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin, generally called Victory Day a "sacred holiday" and said its abolition in Ukraine is trying to "erase the historical memory." He added that “Ukrainians, as consumables, are handed over to NATO,” and our country "became a colony of the United States.” Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov supported Volodin and said: “I am sure that there are many people in Ukraine who consider the Victory Day on May 9 a holy and sacred day.”
The Russians might have felt unhappy also because of the visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on May 9 to Kyiv, where she celebrated Europe Day and discussed the issue of European integration of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Ursula von der Leyen. He said they talked about the purchase and supply of 1 million shells for artillery, which the European Union is ready to provide, about sanctions against Russia and the European integration of Ukraine. The President of Ukraine said he “was looking forward to a positive interim assessment" of Ukraine's path to the EU as soon as June.
Denys Shmyhal is also optimistic: he discussed with Ursula von der Leyen the implementation of seven recommendations of the European Commission, which Ukraine received together with the EUcandidate status. The Prime Minister added that our country “is at the final stage of their implementation and closely cooperates with the EU at all levels.”
Well, let's hope that the summer is successful for Ukraine, also on the Euro-Atlantic front. After all, the President of the European Commission said that Ukraine was working tirelessly to open negotiations on gaining the membership: “I want to express my most profound respect for this work. You must know you can rely on our knowledge and support in this process, which must continue. ”
Sacred May 9: a sad parade of the "WW2 victorious fanaticism" and Putin's lies
On May 9, 2023, the Russian Federation celebrated the anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It is the concept that underlies the ideology of russism. Despite the losses in the so-called "special operation" in Ukraine, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin did not abandon the parade as a reminder of the victorious role of the USSR in World War II.
The parade ended quickly, and they did not put out much military equipment or aircraft show. In his address, the President of Russia once again repeated the established narratives about the confrontation with the West.
“A real war has been unleashed against our homeland again, but we have repulsed international terrorism; we will protect Donbas and ensure our security," the dictator said. Two days later, his press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, announced that Russia is not fighting in Ukraine, which is why it is acting so slowly and allegedly “trying to save infrastructure and save human lives.”
It is evident that the Kremlin failed to demonstrate to their society any significant victories until May 9, so they lied about the intention of preventing civilian casualties. In addition, with no gains at the front on the night of May 9, the Russian Federation attacked the territory of Ukraine with 25 missiles, 23 of which were destroyed by Ukrainian air defense.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the aggressor had increased the intensity of missile attacks on Ukrainian territory because they needed to "shovel" something to their citizens. After all, the capture of Bakhmut before the sacred date of the Russian troops failed.
"And a voracious society – they are there, and we can see how they support certain radical actions or the number of deaths. They are always happy about it,” Zelensky commented on the missile strikes.
At the parade, it did not hurt Vladimir Putin to lie about his wish for peace and stability.
“Russia has no unfriendly or hostile nations, either in the West or the East. Like the vast majority of people on the planet, we want to see a peaceful, free, and reliable future," he said.
The presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus and the Prime Minister of Armenia came to Moscow to support the international war criminal. According to analysts of the Institute for the Study of War, this way Putin tried to demonstrate Russia's further influence in Central Asia and to consolidate partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), many of whom have been seeking to reduce their dependence on the Kremlin after February 2022.
The questionable role of Russia in the regional policy of Central Asia states was highlighted in the article published on the Uzbek and Azerbaijani news portals by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak. The Ukrainian politician emphasized Moscow's constant interference in the integration processes in the region to preserve its long-term role as an arbitrator.
“This is nothing more but a continuation of the imperial practices of drawing borders without taking into account ethnic maps,” Yermak writes in the article.
In addition, Russia continues to actively recruit labor migrants from Central Asia to the war to increase the army and avoid a new wave of mobilization of Russians. Nevertheless, last September, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan authorities warned their citizens against it.
Against the background of the Kremlin's imperialist policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine criticized the participation of the leaders of the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus in the Russian parade, considering it "an immoral and unfriendly step in relation to Ukraine, a manifestation of contempt for the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their survival and freedom.”
After all, the parade in Moscow showed that Putin is living in a parallel reality. According to the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, Putin is “an ideal illustration of the split personality from textbooks on psychoanalysis.”
"Putin starts a large-scale war, massacres civilians, arranges forced deportations, destroys large and small cities, gets punched in the teeth, and whines about how he was treacherously attacked,” Podolyak said.
The parade in Moscow took 40 minutes and was the shortest since 1941. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, believes that the Kremlin flock had to quickly end the event because of fear, “now a lifelong Ukrainian gift to Putin and his clique.”
Zelensky on Eurotour: advocacy for weapons and NATO membership
President Volodymyr Zelensky continues his working trips. After Finland and the Netherlands, the President of Ukraine visited Italy and Germany, from where he proceeded to France. The key topics that he advocates include Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO, the promotion of the Ukrainian peace plan, and the strengthening of military assistance, particularly the provision of air defense systems and cutting-edge Western F-16 fighters.
On May 13, Volodymyr Zelensky visited Italy, where he met with the head of the government, Georgia Meloni. Following the conversation, Volodymyr Zelensky said he agreed on weapons and air defense.
“Today, we discussed our cooperation, particularly in security and military fields. We have crucial decisions to protect our skies, " Zelensky said without elaborating.
Georgia Meloni herself reiterated her position and promised to offer Kyiv full support for joining the EU and assistance in the field of reforms.
On May 14, the Ukrainian President met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. After the conversation, the head of the German government announced an unprecedented package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros. Our state will receive 30 Leopard 1 tank; 4 IRIS-t-SLM air defense systems (they will be supplemented by 12 IRIS-t-SLS launchers and hundreds of guided missiles of the system); 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles; 18 wheeled howitzers; at least 200 UAVs for reconnaissance; 100 armored vehicles and about 100 vehicles for logistics support.
According to Zelensky, the weapons included in this security package will significantly strengthen Ukraine's defense against Russian terror.
"Today, regarding assistance, Germany is second after the United States. It is powerful, ”the President added.
Also, during the meeting with the German Chancellor, Zelensky said that the prospects for ending the war, i.e., the defeat of the aggressor country, could be determined this year. Volodymyr Zelensky and Olaf Scholz signed a joint declaration in which, among other things, Berlin expressed support for Ukraine's movement toward NATO membership.
Late in the evening on May 14, Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting between the heads of state "is dedicated to the support that France continues to provide in response to the urgent military and humanitarian needs of Ukraine."
"The two presidents will also be able to discuss the long-term prospects for a return to peace in Europe, in particular, based on the Peace Plan proposed by President Zelensky, which France supports,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
On May 15, Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Meanwhile, on the eve of this visit, it became known that the UK had transferred to Ukraine Storm Shadow 250 km range aircraft missiles. In addition, according to the information released by the Polish Delegation to the EU on Twitter, Warsaw handed over 14 of the 28 MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv.
Experts suggest that the Soviet aircraft that Ukraine received from the allies could be used to launch Storm Shadow missiles. However, to match these needs, they could also convert other aircraft currently at the disposal of the Ukrainian army.
As for the F-16 aircraft, Volodymyr Zelensky believes in the agreement's success in the supply of fighters to Ukraine. “In part, my visits to the European capitals pursued this objective,” the Ukrainian President said.