Of course, one can talk for a long time about how Russians do not support the war. And talk about it from high tribunes in good English and French. But as soon as 9 May arrives, these same Russians begin to speak for themselves. Without any pressure, but only at the call of the heart, they unite on this day in a single impulse called “our great victory.”
Millions of Russians go out on this day to march in the Immortal Regiment. Photos on sticks are only part of the attributes of this “celebration”. Peace-loving Russians put on military uniforms, pin Z and other militaristic symbols on themselves and, to the heart-rending chant of “Arise, great country, rise to mortal combat!”, march along the central streets of cities, waving Soviet flags and Russian tricolors. Unfortunately, not only in Russia.
The USA, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Israel, Cyprus, Australia and Canada, Argentina, South Korea and Japan – this is an incomplete list of almost a hundred countries where Russians voluntarily celebrated the victory of Russian arms on 9 May.
In the centre of Berlin, for example, they sang the song “I am Russian!” and called people with Ukrainian flags names; in Haifa, they beat up an anti-war demonstrator; and at a march in Montreal, they demanded the collapse of NATO.
In Russia itself, they went even further and surprised even me. Muscovites greeted the participants of the invasion of Ukraine with applause, filming their columns on American iPhones. In other cities, they showed romantic scenes about how to gloriously bury your son in the war. All the May people with children came to admire the broken NATO equipment brought from the fields of Ukraine.
Victory Day is an indicator of public sentiment. People are not being disingenuous in their attitude to this cult; they do not feel pressure and do not risk anything. On this day, Russians quite sincerely and openly declare to the whole world that their main and unsatisfied demand remains the same – it is resentment. Therefore, they are not at all embarrassed by the celebration of victory when their own country is waging an aggressive war with other nations. The so-called Russian liberals also feel the thirst for revenge. It is not for nothing that Yulia Navalnaya told her followers on 9 May that she will return to them the Victory of their grandfathers, which Putin took from them.
