The Russian autocrat did not announce a large-scale mobilization during the Victory Day parade, but this does not mean that the idea was rejected at all.
This moment could be triumphant. If Vladimir Putin's February invasion of Ukraine had gone according to plan, he would now be holding a military parade on Independence Square in Kyiv, enjoying a victory that he saw would be tantamount to victory in 1945.
< But instead, according to The Telegraph, his troops marched on Red Square in Moscow, accompanied by only part of the armored vehicles commonly used in such parades. There was no aviation at all. And Putin himself did not compare victories, but two bloody wars, which, according to him, required the consolidation of the country.
Putin has always compared his war against Ukraine to World War II to enlist the support of the Russians and the army. But he did not announce the “completion of the mission,” as some experts had predicted. That would be too gross a distortion of reality. Because even in Mariupol, the “liberation” of which Putin hastened to announce, fighting is still going on. He also did not announce the formal start of mass mobilization.
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However, The Telegraph believes that this option is still on the table. The mobilization is being actively talked about on state television so that the society would be ready if the Kremlin still takes this step. It is possible that the decision has not yet been made. Ultimately, mobilization will have major political and economic consequences. It may be announced later through a special order or decision of the State Duma, so that there is no direct association between the mobilization and Putin himself.
Whatever the reason, the Russian autocrat has apparently decided that he will not shock Russians during his annual speech in Red Square. After all, Victory Day speeches have always been more ceremonial than political. So Putin gave a regular speech praising Soviet citizens for defeating Nazism and urging modern Russians to try to live in their memory. But everyone knew that this year the main role was played by a completely different war. So Putin quickly got to the bottom of it. From the beginning, he began to recall how Soviet soldiers fought the Nazis “in Kyiv, Minsk, Sevastopol and Kharkiv, as you are fighting today for our people in the Donbas, for Russia's security.” In general, he reiterated his apologies for starting the invasion of Ukraine.
The Telegraph believes that an important moment was when Putin acknowledged Russia's losses, promising to take care of the families of those killed in the war in Ukraine. He also thanked the doctors who treat the wounded. This is an important point. The time has come when denying military death, as well as declaring victory, would be too much of a hoax.
There was almost nothing new in Putin's Victory Day speech. He, as always, exploited the history of World War II for his political purposes. And everyone has heard his justification for invading Ukraine many times. The speech was completely empty and without new ideas. But that's not the point.
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Vladimir Putin's Victory Day in Russia is a ritual. It is a semi-religious curse that ties its own legitimacy to the heroism of the generation that liberated Europe from the horrors created by a nationalist dictator obsessed with imperialist expansion. At a time when his own aggressive war is sinking in a bloody swamp, he needs this legitimacy more than ever. So he strictly adhered to the text of this “curse”.
We will always compare ourselves with that generation. For the victory. Hooray, “Putin said
