A view of Red Square in Moscow during a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. — Reuters
RUSSIA celebrated the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat last month with visiting heads of state and a show of armed might in Red Square, staged as a display of global clout, grandiose and intimidating, and a portent of eventual triumph in the war against Ukraine.
The annual military parade below the walls and towers of the Kremlin was the largest since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, a commemoration the government and its cheerleaders used to raise support for the war, conflating what may be the greatest source of national pride with the far more divisive current conflict.
