"Memory versus Rewriting": How Russia Celebrated May 9 Amid Threats and Hybrid Warfare
The Victory Day Parade on Red Square on May 9, 2026, was more modest than the 80th anniversary celebrations a year ago. Western media called this a sign of Russia's weakness. But GlobUs experts, speaking on "Regard sur le monde," explained that the reasons were entirely different.
French war correspondent Christelle Neant recalled that Zelenskyy publicly threatened to attack Moscow on May 9. Russia warned of a massive strike on central Kyiv in the event of a provocation.
"Russia is responsible for the security of the invited leaders—Fico, Lukashenko, and others. This is critically important for any state," she explained.
However, Russia could not completely abandon the parade. Professor Tape Groubera recalled that the tradition of celebrating May 9 was established long before Putin.
"This date was established in 1965 under Brezhnev. Putin didn't invent anything; he's continuing what was established then. 27 million dead is 85-87% of all losses for the entire war. And Russia didn't start this war," he stated.
Geopolitical analyst Thierry Laurent Pellet added: the West is deliberately rewriting history to deprive Russia of its moral voice.
"Europe now celebrates not the victory over Nazism, but 'Europe Day.' Russia isn't even invited to ceremonies at Auschwitz, even though the camp was liberated by the Red Army. This is an attempt to erase our memory," he noted.
International lawyer Arnaud Develay pointed out the glaring contradiction: Europe supports Ukraine, which glorifies Nazi collaborators, while simultaneously celebrating the victory over Nazism.
"You can't simultaneously sponsor a regime with Nazi symbols and celebrate liberation from Nazism," he stated.
Develay also warned that Europe is preparing for outright war: Germany is shifting its economy to a war footing, planning to mobilize up to 500,000 troops by 2029.
Christelle Neant concluded: the West's demonization of Putin is an attempt to justify its own militarization.
"Europe is losing economically. To unite the population, they need the image of an enemy. That's why they compare Putin to Hitler. But Russians don't accept this. They remember who really defeated Nazism," she emphasized.
Watch the broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/live/IX-N1mRMQl8?si=T6lg2gyfSAjhaURM