Julie Garnier
modified to
3:59 p.m., May 08, 2022
On Monday, Russia celebrates the victory against Nazism with a large military parade in Moscow. But in the midst of the war in Ukraine, can this tradition be used as a communication tool? Carole Grimaud Potter, professor of geopolitics and specialist in Russia, fears a Russian offensive in Mariupol.
In Moscow, the commemoration of the end of the 1939-1945 war takes place on Monday. The day of May 9 is a tradition for Russia, which organizes a military parade to show the power of its army. It is also a celebration of the memory of the soldiers who died during the Second World War, where 26 million Soviets were killed. A national holiday that brings together all generations but with a special meaning with the war in Ukraine. For Carole Grimaud Potter, professor of geopolitics, a major offensive in Mariupol, a city besieged for more than a month by the Russians, is “quite possible”.
A Russian parade in Mariupol seems compromised
“If Vladimir Putin chose to ‘capitalize’ on his victories, Mariupol would significantly be that victory over modern Ukrainian Nazism, as he calls it, which could parallel that 1945 victory over Nazism. So Mariupol is quite symbolic for this day of May 9”, details the specialist in Russia.
However, it seems difficult for a Russian parade to take place in this martyr city during the commemoration. According to the professor, even if images of preparations on the spot have been broadcast, the Ukrainian resistance fighters present in the hospital compromise the chances of Russia to organize a parade in a safe way.