Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a Victory Day parade this Thursday, showing his country’s unity and determination to continue the war against Ukraine. But the martial celebrations also hid latent tensions in the Kremlin and Russian society.
At first glance, this year’s parade in Red Square was the usual well-choreographed display of military power: More than nine thousand military personnel took part, including a thousand who are currently serving in what Russia still calls a “special military operation” – the official euphemism for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The mechanized column was led by a World War II-era T-34 tank, a symbol of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
May 9 is more than a day to commemorate the more than 25 million Soviet soldiers and civilians who died during World War II.
Under Putin’s presidency, the Russian state has elevated the collective memory of the war into something that resembles a secular religion. It is a day of great solemnity: in recent years, Russians have participated in “Immortal Regiment” marches, carrying photographs of family members who served in the war. Putin – who has made “patriotic education” a priority – traditionally lays flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
But since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the massive military parade has been scaled back somewhat. Last year, the usual military plane flyover over Red Square was cancelled, and this year’s parade only featured one tank, the T-34 museum piece. Frontline priorities seem to take precedence over ceremony.
And, as in previous years, Putin presented the war in Ukraine as a continuation of what Russians call the Great Patriotic War, making the false claim that Russia is fighting “neo-Nazism” in Ukraine. And although the war in Ukraine appears to be going better for Russia than it did a year ago, Putin still called on Russians to make more sacrifices in wartime.
“Russia is now going through a difficult and transitional period,” he said in a speech before the parade.
“The fate of the Fatherland, its future depends on each of us… We celebrate Victory Day in the context of a special military operation. All its participants – those who are on the front line, on the combat contact line – you are our heroes. We salute your perseverance and self-sacrifice, your dedication.
But this year’s Victory Day is also taking place against the backdrop of a bribery scandal that is affecting the Russian Defense Ministry.
Last month, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was caught up in a corruption investigation and detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe of “an especially large size.” The scandal widened with the arrest of two Russian businessmen on suspicion of involvement in bribery.
Ivanov has denied involvement in bribery and is willing to give detailed testimony to prove his innocence, according to Russian state news agency TASS. And Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ivanov’s boss before his ouster from his ministerial post, played his usual role at this year’s Victory Day parade, reviewing troops and briefing Putin before the president’s speech.
Analysts of what is happening in the Kremlin can draw few conclusions from Shoigu’s actions on May 9. But the detention of the defense minister’s protégé has sparked speculation about infighting at the highest levels of power and cast an uncomfortable light on what observers consider to be a culture of rampant corruption within the Russian military.
As head of construction at the Ministry of Defense, Ivanov was responsible for overseeing projects such as the reconstruction of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which was destroyed by Russian forces in 2022.
The reconstruction of apartment blocks in Mariupol has been a highlight of the Russian government’s propaganda: Putin paid a visit to the occupied city last spring as part of a public relations campaign.
But a visual investigation by the Financial Times pointed to shoddy work in Mariupol, underscoring speculation that reconstruction funds were being diverted by Russian companies that had won government construction contracts.
Ivanov is under US and EU sanctions for his role in the war against Ukraine. But the lavish lifestyle of his ex-partner – who has an upscale Paris address and enjoys the slopes of Courchevel – has been widely analyzed by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), the investigative group founded by Russian opposition leader Alexey. Navalny, who died in a Russian prison north of the Arctic Circle earlier this year.
The Russian political opposition – which, during Putin’s rule, was largely sidelined, marginalized or chased into exile – is still reeling from Navalny’s death.
But Navalny’s investigative foundation has continued its relentless focus on corruption in Putin’s Russia.
In recent weeks, ACF chief investigator Maria Pevchikh has managed to dominate much of the conversation about Russia on the Internet, with the release of a documentary series titled “The Traitors,” which traces Putin’s origins in the context of chaos. political and economic situation in Russia in the 1990s. Corruption, it is said, is the original sin of Russia today.
But that is not the message Putin is projecting on Victory Day.
Despite heavy losses of men and equipment on the battlefield in Ukraine, defense spending has boosted the Russian economy. Putin’s technocrats skillfully managed the economy in the midst of international sanctions, causing the country to once again record GDP growth.
But the Russian economy remains famous for its inefficiency and corruption. Prestigious projects – such as the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics – have long been tarnished by allegations of corruption and favoritism, especially when it comes to the awarding of contracts. And the standard of living of ordinary Russians is a secondary consideration in Putin’s war economy.
Seen in this light, this year’s Victory Day in Moscow was yet another feel-good exercise, presenting contemporary Russia as the opposite of the 1990s: proud, militarily strong, advancing inexorably. And Putin, after a quarter of a century in power, presided over all of this with the same rhetoric of patriotism, sacrifice and love for the country.
In Russia, continuity has a quality of its own.
Tags: Putin celebrated Victory Day mask tensions evident Kremlin
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