Toward the 9 May – the myth of Moscow as a host for peace celebrations
The Kremlin is trying hard to promote several myths and disinformation tropes around the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII – all with the aim of justifying its current aggression against Ukraine. We bring a series of articles to expose them. See the first and second articles.
But why only in Moscow?
Recently, Russian leaders have been trying to convince the world that Russia is the only relevant venue to celebrate the victory over Nazism, while accusing Europe of becoming ‘neo-Nazi’, and claiming Russians are the exclusive heirs to the military glory of the Soviet Union.
These attempts are joined by claims that modern Russia is the convener of world leaders for WWII celebrations.
We can puncture these myths. Today’s reality is that Moscow will not manage to gather many world leaders; heads of state or government, as has been the case earlier. This year, only about a dozen are confirmed.
Compare it with 2005
At the 60th anniversary celebrations in 2005, all the leaders of the WWII Allies, leaders from across all of Europe, the G20 countries, from Central Asia and many others from overseas came to Moscow.
In fact, the Russian state-sponsored website, devoted to promoting Russia’s yearly Victory Day parade, is apparently so proud of the 2005 international presence that ‘the family photo’ of the world leaders in Moscow is the front cover of the 2005 section:
Leaders from around the world gathered in Moscow in 2005, in front of the monument to the Unknown Soldier.
In 2015, for the 70th anniversary parade, the international turnout was already much lower. It was the first Victory Day after the 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea, and Moscow was no longer a popular destination. No family photo to promote.
…and why not on 8th May
Another Kremlin-myth punctured is the fact that significant WWII celebrations are taking place elsewhere. One of the more prominent places is Kyiv, where the 80th anniversary is celebrated on 8 May – (on the day when Nazi Germany surrendered; and confirmed in Berlin to all Allied powers although signed on 7 May in Reims, France – see the intricate details here.)
Don’t be deceived!
