Russia staged “Victory Day” parades in occupied Ukrainian territories on Monday, reportedly transporting people from the annexed territory of Crimea and other conquered regions to bolster crowd size.
Local news channels, Ukrainian intelligence, and Ukrainian politicians all claimed the Russian authorities were attempting to create a TV image of “liberated” Ukrainians celebrating Soviet-created holiday with the invading forces.
“Victory Day,” also referred to as simply “9th of May,” commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union and has continued since the fall of the communist regime. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the country has used it as a way to push its claim of Ukraine’s purported turn to fascism and national socialism.
Russian state media network “RIA Novosti” reported a sizable crowd of locals in occupied Melitopol, some allegedly marching with photographs of family members who fought in WWII.
Local residents, politicians and media contradicted the claim.
The mayor of the city, Ivan Fedorov, told Rya, a local publication, that Russian troops have been trying to recruit locals for the celebrations for nearly a month and, after getting little interest, instead told citizens to stay home.
“Yesterday, 8th of May, the troops stationed in the city were warning residents of the dangers of coming to the Victory Day celebrations,” Fedorov said. “They claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would either bomb or perform sabotage missions at the event.”
Fedorov suggested Russian loyalists in the city, in an effort to create a celebratory image – and after finding little success enticing locals, decided to discourage pro-Ukrainian residents while importing more willing people from out of town.
Rya, a Russian language online publication, claims the images and videos from the parade shown on pro-Russian media were not local residents. Its analysis, instead based on reader submissions, showed that at least some of the people seen at “Victory Day” came from Crimea, and other self-declared “people’s republics” and villages around Melitopol.
“Bus loads of people from occupied villages were seen today in Melitopol. We estimate the number of non-locals celebrating today to be 3,000 people,” Rya reported.
In Mariupol, Russians faced a different challenge. The city is home to the Azovstal iron and steel works, where Ukrainian fighters, as well as Ukrainian civilians, remain as the last major holdout and continue to be a daily target of shelling.
With an estimated 20,000 already dead and few locals remaining in the port city, Russian authorities and local loyalists organized a small 300-meter procession of a ribbon of St. George, led by Denis Pushilin, the unelected head of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
“Mariupol. No parade, just a circus,” Mariupol Deputy Mayor Petro Andushenko wrote on his Telegram account. “A 300-meter long striped rag is being carried to the ‘Warrior-Liberator’ Square in the city’s downtown. A real holiday, isn’t it. Especially to the sound of the bombing of Azovstal in the distance.”
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