The great Anne Applebaum, writing in The Atlantic, describes the fear that the Russian elites have of Ukraine's increasing military prowess and reach into Russia's heartland. The Putin-managed May 9 "Victory Day" celebration was a shadow of previous years, reflecting his paranoia and Russia's faltering position in their war of aggression against Ukraine:
"Last week, the whining noise of unmanned flying objects could be heard in the city of Moscow once again. On the morning of May 7, the mayor of Moscow announced that the Russian air force had shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones aimed at the city. Two days later, Moscow was due to host Russia’s annual May 9 military parade, a celebration linked very intimately with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who had revived this Soviet-era celebration of Stalin’s victory over Nazi Germany and his conquest of Europe.
Suddenly, and very publicly, Russian officials appeared nervous, afraid that their parade would be spoiled. The Russian foreign minister issued a threat, promising 'no mercy,' whatever that means, if Ukrainians struck the parade. The Kremlin’s spokesperson reassured Muscovites that security was tight because the 'threat from the Kyiv regime' had already been taken into account. The Russian president even persuaded the American president to ask the Ukrainian president for a one-day cease-fire. Volodymyr Zelensky granted Putin’s wish, after Trump offered to broker an exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war. Zelensky then issued a magnanimous, droll decree, formally granting Putin permission to hold the parade." (our emphasis}
Zelensky's mock decree was the cherry on top of the sundae, demonstrating that there's been a not-so-subtle shift in the dynamic of Russia's war on Ukraine, now in its fourth and very deadly war for the Russian aggressors. Ukraine is showing that it has some potent, lethal cards to play, too.
(photo: Pavel Bednyakov / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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