In a major security restriction ahead of Tuesday’s commemoration of Victory Day, Russia has banned the use of drones, jet skis and car-sharing services in its largest cities.
Victory Day is an annual commemoration that marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
At least 21 Russian cities have canceled May 9 military parades; the staple of Victory Day celebrations across Russia, for the first time in years, Russian media disclosed.
Regional officials blamed unspecified “security concerns” or vaguely referred to “the current situation” for the restrictions and cancellations. It was not clear whether their decisions were taken in coordination with the Kremlin.
Last week, Russia, which has not witnessed the bloodshed endured by Ukraine during the invasion, was flustered by ambiguous official reports that two Ukrainian drones flew into the heart of Moscow under the cover of darkness and reached the Kremlin before being shot down.
Media and local officials have blamed other sporadic drone attacks, especially targeting oil depots near the two countries’ border, on the Ukrainian military. Kyiv officials have declined to comment on such claims.
The fears of a possible Ukrainian attack appeared real, even though parades will go ahead in Russia’s largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, the use of drones has been banned in both cities ahead of Victory Day.
In St. Petersburg which is often referred to as “Venice of the north” for its network of rivers and canals, using jet skis in certain parts of the city is prohibited through to May 10, 2023. In the Russian capital, car sharing services have been temporarily barred from the city center. Drivers will not be able to start or finish rides there amid preparations for the traditional Red Square parade.
Initially, only one foreign leader was expected to attend this year’s Moscow parade; Kyrgyzstan President, Sadyr Zhaparov, who arrived on Monday and met Putin for talks.
That was one more foreign guest than last year, when no leaders went amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s broad diplomatic isolation over the war. The Kremlin at the time said it had not invited any because it was not a “round-number anniversary.”
Tajik President, Armenia’s Prime Minister, Kazakhstan’s Leader To Join The Commemoration
However on Monday, officials announced that Tajik President, Emomali Rakhmon would be joining Putin and Zhaparov at the festivities, along with Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and Kazakhstan’s leader, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The latter two were surprising choices for the guest list as they have in the past diverged from Putin’s line. Kazakhstan and Armenia, though Russia’s allies, have not publicly supported the war in Ukraine. In fact, Tokayev has spoken to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone several times throughout the invasion.
Tokayev also told Putin last summer that Kazakhstan will not recognize the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.
Pashinyan disparaged Moscow earlier this year by refusing to host military drills of the Russia-dominated security alliance which Armenia is part of, the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
May 9 is normally a bank holiday in Ukraine, too, but not this year, because of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed on Monday, May 8, 2023, that he had sent a draft bill to parliament proposing a Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II on May 8 and a Day of Europe on May 9, further distancing Kyiv from Moscow.
Zelenskyy equated Russia’s goals in Ukraine to those of the Nazis. “Unfortunately, evil has returned,” Zelenskyy noted on Telegram. “Although now it is another aggressor, the goal is the same — enslavement or destruction,” he added.
The European Union’s Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen is due to travel to Kyiv on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, to mark Europe Day together with Zelenskyy.
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