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Some Military Parades Cancelled in Russia
Today is victory day in Europe. In Russia, it’s celebrated on the ninth. It’s part of the civic religion of the state and the ongoing memory wars over the meaning of World War Two, particularly in Eastern Europe. In Russia, it’s almost a civic sacred day.
This is a day of military parades and, more recently, the immortal regiment processions. The latter has been canceled within the Federation. However, they have been held abroad. My going theory for that one is that this year it would be filled with photos of far more recently departed heroes, putting a lie to the official story that casualties have been light. Depending on who’s numbers you read, the upper range is now at a quarter million Russian casualties. This would be General SVR. Ukraine is close to 200,000. Western intel is lower, but not by much. But officially, Russia has now lost more than fifty thousand.
Here is the relevant paragraph regarding the immortal regiment from the Moscow Times:
Military parades have been canceled in over 20 Russian cities, including several in Siberia, thousands of kilometers from the frontlines. And not a single Immortal Regiment march — held in memory of those killed in World War II and usually attended by millions — will take place.