Russian cities across the country have started to cancel their Victory Day celebrations, in a major blow for Vladimir Putin. The losses of Allied Forces are believed to be just over one million – this includes those killed, injured or labelled as missing.
This year’s celebrations take place once again in the shadow of the Ukraine war, where Russian forces have suffered catastrophic casualties. In the days leading up to the public holiday, Russian cities, including Moscow, have come under repeated attacks by Ukrainian drones.
The aerial bombardments have forced mass cancellations of events planned for the festivities in many cities, according to the independent Russian media outlet Verstka.
Concerts and parades have been called off in the Moscow region, as well as in the provinces of Vladimir, Lipetsk, Vologda and Mordovia.
The memorial service “for all fallen soldiers of the Fatherland” in Yegoryevsk near Moscow was moved from the cemetery to the church “for security reasons.”
And in Ramenskoye, the local music school wrote that their performance on Thursday May 8 will not take place due to the cancellation of Victory Day.
Evening concerts were also called off in Pavlovsky Posad, an urban district in the Moscow region.
Russia came under intense drone attack on Wednesday, forcing many airports across the country to close.
The attack caused travel chaos across Russia, with at least 60,000 travellers impacted by some 350 flight delays and cancellations.
Russia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany on Friday May 9. Twenty-nine world leaders including China’s President Xi Jinping will join Putin in Moscow at a military parade on Red Square.
Victory Day is a major public holiday in Russia, with parades and events held throughout the country in practically every town and city. Russians come together to remember the immense sacrifices of Soviet soldiers during World War II.
Up to 10.7 million Soviet troops are estimated to have died in the fighting during the course of the brutal war.