Military parades have been around for about as long as armies themselves. There’s nothing inherently good or bad about them.
Everything depends on their message. Military parades are basically like theater plays.
As such, they can be imbued with very different shades of meaning.
A parade whose centerpiece is a nuclear ICBM is very different from a parade focusing on historical uniforms and banners.
Today, we’ll discuss what the point of the 2023 Victory Day parade in Moscow was, if any.
Not many remember this, but it was President Boris Yeltsin’s administration that decided to hold Victory Day parades
in Red Square annually.
In Soviet days, there had been only three such parades: in 1965, 1985, and 1990.
There was also the 1945 parade, but it was held on Jun. 24 and not May 9.
The parades in Red Square became an annual fixture in 1995. There was nothing bad about the idea.
France has its annual parade on Bastille Day, the U.S. has one on Independence Day. So why shouldn’t Russia?
The USSR used to hold annual October Revolution parades, but they had become obsolete in post-Soviet Russia.
The problem with the Moscow parades of the past 15 years is epitomized by the Russian proverb:
“Have a fool pray to god, and they’ll smash their forehead.”
Under late Putinism, the parades haven’t been held for the sake of the country.
It’s the country that slaves away for the sake of the parades.
The costs of paramilitary displays have gone through the roof.
The parades have turned into black holes relentlessly devouring the Russian budget.
A single day of ritual has been prioritized over the day-to-day needs of millions of people.
In late spring, central Moscow is virtually paralyzed by parade rehearsals.
Even earlier, entire army units designated to march across Red Square also freeze up,
doing nothing but drilling their display for six months.
Those marching with a rifle on May 9 have likely already forgotten which end the bullet comes out of.
However, it’s the first time in many years that the parade was so unassuming and short.
But not because Putin’s political elite have suddenly acquired a sense of modesty and proportion.
It’s just that displaying fancy T-14 and T-90 tank models in Red Square is a bit embarrassing
when you’re sending museum exhibits equipment onto the battlefield.
That hardware was retired when Putin was in elementary school.
The ICBMs still made an appearance, though, implying that there’s still gas in the tank and fission in the warheads.
But what about Putin’s speech? Unlike the ICBMs, it was pretty direct.
THE TSAR’S SPEECH
In his opening lines, Putin evidently forgot who he was because he recited a whole paragraph with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s POV.
Just listen to this:
War is being waged against our Motherland once again, but we’ve stood up to international terrorism.
We’ll defend the people in the Donbas and ensure our own safety.
Putin seems to have forgotten that he’d vowed to show Ukraine what “true decommunization” looks like.
And that it’s the Ukrainian army that’s now defending the people in the Donbas — in places like Bakhmut and Sloviansk.
Further on, Putin went to his old ways and launched into his favorite corny blabber about how
“Western globalist elites are destroying traditional family values that define human beings.”
At some point, he seemingly got confused about grammar and, after a few conservative platitudes,
began occasionally referring to himself as “they.”
They seem to have forgotten what the Nazis’ insane claims to world domination led to.
The goal — and it’s nothing new — is to cut up and destroy our country, overturn the results of WWII,
dismantle the system of global security and international law, and strangle any sovereign hubs of development.
Excessive ambition, arrogance, and impunity inevitably lead to tragedy.
Apologies for my slightly mocking tone.
But Putin would’ve been better off keeping mum, since one can’t help but use everything he says against him.
THE MEANING OF VICTORY DAY
King Midas turned everything he touched into gold. Putin’s regime excels at turning everything it touches —
be it culture, art, science, or historical memory — into a load of ickiness.
It’s heartbreaking that Victory Day is no exception to this rule, but rather its most glaring example.
May 9 is undoubtedly very important for our country. Every family in Russia has their war hero.
Gratitude to those who fought on the battlefield and on the homefront is something all Russians have in common.
Russia’s privileged position on the international stage is also a result of WWII.
After ‘91, it inherited the privileges that the USSR held since ‘45 as a key Allied power:
permanent membership in the UN Security Council and its veto power.
Russia was given the vote of confidence, becoming the only one out of the 15 former
Soviet republics to inherit the privileges of the USSR.
Deluded by dreams of decommunization and de-Nazification, Putin has taken this enormous capital
and used it to start a new war in Europe.
A man born in ‘52 has decided that the events of ‘45 give him a free rein.
He’s the “heir to the victors,” you see, as are the soldiers that he’s sending to war.
But what about their enemy, the Ukrainian army?
Aren’t they heirs, too? What kind of logic is that? What does it all mean? Why is it like that?
Because it is.
It’s amazing how utterly destructive Putinism is. It permeates everything like a gas. It devalues human life.
It breaks into Ukrainian cities and razes them to the ground.
It enters Russian cities, wreaking poverty and devastation, destroying families, and sending people to war.
It demolishes architectural heritage. It seeps into theaters and museums, driving the life out of them.
Putinism pollutes rivers and lakes, kills forests and endangered species. It fouls both the brain and the soul.
Nothing is sacred for Putinism. It’ll gladly toast marshmallows on the eternal flame of a war memorial.
Or use it to stoke the pyre that will incinerate the lives of hundreds of thousands.
Yesterday should’ve been a gracious and dignified occasion.
Yet, millions of people now feel uncomfortable congratulating each other on Victory Day.
What united us yesterday wasn’t solemn joy and commemoration, but embarrassment and shame.
It’s only a healthy response to what’s happening.
If you felt morally queasy yesterday, it means you’re a normal person with a conscience.
This quality is valuable now and will soon be helpful in getting our country back to normal —
and, among other things, reclaiming Victory Day.
See you tomorrow!