#RUSSIA VICTORY DAY CELEBRATIONS VERIFICATION#

#RUSSIA VICTORY DAY CELEBRATIONS VERIFICATION#

There was no independent verification of the purported attack, which Russian authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was not involved. Last week, Russia said it had foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin that it called an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Putin. It wasn’t clear whether their decisions were made in coordination with the Kremlin. Regional officials blamed unspecified “security concerns” or vaguely referred to “the current situation” for the restrictions and cancellations. Russian media counted 24 Russian cities that also scrapped military parades - another staple of the celebrations - for the first time in years. “That seems to be for fear that those people who have lost their relatives in this current war on Ukraine might actually join the processions and show just the scale of the casualties that Russia has suffered in its current war,” Giles said. Russian military vehicles drive during a parade on Victory Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9, 2023. Wedged between Moldova and Ukraine, the breakaway republic of Transnistria holds fast to its Russian roots but wants to stay out of the war on Ukraine. The parade is part of celebrations marking the 77th anniversary of the end. World & Nation Far from Russia, a pro-Moscow sliver of land tries to cling to its identity - and keep war at bay Russian self-propelled artillery vehicles take part in the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on Monday, May 9, 2022.

Russia victory day celebrations