On Wednesday, Crimea’s governor, Sergei Aksionov, appointed by Moscow, announced the cancellation of all May 9 celebrations on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula, citing “security problems”. Demonstrations on May Day had already been canceled for the same reasons. Six Russian regions and 21 cities have also canceled all commemorations, the British Ministry of Defense noted in its May 6 daily report.
The announcement comes after drone strikes were reported in Russia this week, one of which was aimed directly at the Kremlin. However, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the big military parade in Moscow’s Red Square – the main event of what has become a major patriotic holiday and which Vladimir Putin usually attends – will go well as expected.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, the importance of the event should nevertheless be reduced. “The reception by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of the parade (last in 2019) will not take place,” the ministry assured, just as the traditional march of the “Regiment of the Immortals” was canceled. During this demonstration, hundreds of thousands of Russians parade, waving a photo of one of their ancestors who died in combat during World War II.