UKRAINE: 3 QUESTIONS - 3 ANSWERS, PART 30: May 9th?

05/09/2022By Redaktion

9. Mai Bundesheer Fragen Interview

In connection with the Ukraine war, many experts suspect that May 9th could be of particular significance. What this date is all about is explained by Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Bilban. He is a researcher at the Institute for Peacekeeping and Conflict Management at the National Defense Academy in Vienna. His research focuses include conflicts in the post-Soviet space and the foreign and security policy of the Russian Federation.

The opinion of the Federal Armed Forces expert:

Why is May 9th of such great importance to Russia?

Russia celebrates on May 9th the "Victory Day" over Nazi Germany in 1945. The binding surrender declaration for the former Soviet Union was signed shortly after midnight on May 9, 1945 - but retroactively with May 8, 1945, 11:01 pm - in Berlin. The time difference between Berlin and Moscow led to the perception from the Russian point of view that the war ended on May 9. In June 1945, the victory was celebrated with a long military parade on Red Square in Moscow.

In the following decades, the "Victory Day" in the Soviet Union was only a day of remembrance for the victims of the war; it only became an official state holiday in 1965. Parades also only took place for major anniversaries (e.g. 1965, 1985), as the parade for the anniversary of the October Revolution was more significant for the Communist Party.

For financial reasons, there were no parades in independent Russia between 1991 and 1994. Only since 1995 have annual parades been held in Moscow again. Initially, the memory of the horrors of the war and the fallen soldiers were central, but around 2005 it became apparent that Russia began to use the "Great Patriotic War" of 1941-1945 as a symbol of national unity and strength.

In 2015, the state's appropriation of history took on a new dimension when Putin led the march of the "Immortal Regiment" in Moscow. The "Immortal Regiment" aims to commemorate the losses of the Red Army in the "Great Patriotic War" with publicly displayed images of soldiers. For Putin, this action is another step to rally the Russian population behind the current regime.

How is the "Victory Day" usually celebrated?

Since 1991, May 9th has been a public holiday in Russia. Only from 1995 did the annual small parades begin, where only soldiers marched but no vehicles, tanks, or other military equipment were displayed. This changed with the parade in 2008, which was broadcast internationally for the first time by the Russian state broadcaster RT, turning the "Victory Day" into a symbol of Russian military strength.

Since then, the parades have showcased various military equipment from off-road vehicles to tanks and long-range missiles. The core of the festivities is the march on Red Square. The parade concludes with a flyover by the Russian Air Force. In addition to the main parade in central Moscow, there are also smaller ones in Russian major cities. This year, the parade will be about half the size compared to previous years.

Other former Soviet Union states also typically celebrate May 9th as a holiday. Belarus also celebrates the day with great fervor. Kazakhstan has canceled this year's parade, which has not taken place for the past few years due to COVID restrictions, without further explanation. Since 2015, Ukraine no longer celebrates the "Victory Day" due to its connection with the USSR and Russia, but marks the end of WWII on May 8 and the "Victory over Fascism in WWII" on May 9.

What role does history play in the current war with Ukraine?

The question of history and Russia's historical role is a central element in the war in Ukraine, as well as in the larger conflict between Russia and the USA and Europe. In recent years, Russia has increasingly emphasized that its role in WWII is not appreciated enough. President Putin published an extensive essay on the topic in 2020. His essay on the alleged historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians from June 2021 underscores that Putin wants his actions to be seen as a correction of historical injustices and misdevelopments. From Putin's perspective, Ukraine is at best only a part of Russia, which serves as an argumentative basis for the current war.

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