But the unified front hailed by Putin and amplified by Russian state media is only part of the story. For a portion of Russian society, Victory Day is an excruciating 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 this is not a celebration but a day of mourning,” said Valeria, 20, whose father has been mobilized. Like others quoted in this article, she declined to give her full name, fearing repercussions for speaking out.
“The essence of this day used to be that there should never be another war — that is what our ancestors gave their lives for. But somehow the exact opposite is happening.”
She and a small group of similar-minded people on Thursday gathered at Moscow’s Poklonnaya Gora war memorial site on the coldest May 9 since 1945, wearing white scarves or carrying white flowers or ribbons, symbols of anti-war protest.
Some were approached by police and asked for their documents, though no one was detained, 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 until today’s war ends, in dialogue and peace.”
