Victory Day, 2008

The Second World War, or the Great Patriotic War as it is called in Russia, officially ended in the Soviet Union on the 9^th of May, 1945 leaving over 23 million dead and countless millions more maimed and scarred by the horrors of the Nazi invasion and the effort to expel Hitler’s legion’s from "the Motherland".  To put Russia’s losses into perspective the USA suffered less then 500,000 fatalities during the Second World War, less then a third of the total fatalities suffered by the Soviets at the battle of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).  The war touched every aspect of life for Soviet citizens and it has left a lasting scar on the psyche of the Russian people.  Every year since the anniversary of the Red Army’s, and the Soviet People’s, great victory over the Nazis is remembered on May 9^th, Victory Day.

 
 

Victory Day is a day of exultation; a day to celebrate the triumph of the Red Army and the triumph of Russia.  On Victory Day the central streets of Moscow are shut down as revellers fill the broad boulevards walking, laughing and enjoying the many free street concerts performed by Russia’s top performers.  It is also a day of gratitude for the men (and women) who were the point of the spear driving the invaders back to Berlin.  Soldiers and sailors of the Great Patriotic War walk the streets in full dress uniform and chests shining with war medals awarded during the Great Patriotic War.  People young and old go out of there way to stop the veterans thank them and hand them flowers of gratitude for his service and sacrifice.

 

May 9^th is not only about the past and remembrance, however.  Victory Day is as much a celebration of the continued strength of Russia as it is the past glory of the Red Army.  May 9^th is a day of patriotism, a day to show the world the strength that turned back the Nazis lives on in present day Russia.  During the Soviet Days Victory Day was the day when tanks, armoured vehicles and mobile ballistic missiles would parade through Red Square showcasing the might of the Soviet Union.  Those of us old enough to remember the days of the cold war might remember the parades; those of you not old enough probably saw them in world history class. I can vaguely remember watching missiles towed on trucks and an assortment of armoured vehicles would roll past the Kremlin walls and through Red Square with the leaders of the USSR looking on stern, grey and aged.

 Though I had no idea then how hollow those final displays of power were, displays of power in which the aged on lookers better represented the state of the Soviet Union then the grandeur of marching and rolling military personnel.  Those parades with their mighty military vehicles rolling through the streets of Moscow ended in 1990 the year before the collapse of the USSR. 

Eighteen years after the last parade of heavy military equipment on Red Square Russia has re-emerged on the international scene with a confidence near that of the USSR.  As part of their resurgent the leaders of the Kremlin have decided this year to return the tanks and missiles to the Victory Day celebrations and the streets of Moscow.

  With heavy military equipment on the streets May 9^th, 2008 was truly more then just a day of remembrance for Russia. Victory Day 2008 was a day in which Russia attempted to show the world they remain formidable nation of considerable might; a nation equal to other great nations and a nation ready to reclaim to the international status lost when the USSR fell.
 

I was there on the streets of Moscow during the parade rehearsals and the parade itself and I watched with thousands of patriotic Russians and curious tourists as the military power of the Russian Federation was put on display.  Armoured vehicles and missiles painted in shades of green and brown and filled with stone faced soldiers, standing stiff as boards with black assault rifles in hand, rolled through the streets while helicopters and jets screeched overhead.  What ever the realities of Russia’s strength and military capabilities are the display of military hardware on the streets of Moscow was nothing short of impressive, and from an image perspective Russia succeeded in showing the thousands of Russians watching in Moscow and millions of Russians watching at home that the Russian army is strong and a worthy successor to the legacy of the Red Army’s victory in 1945.

 

On this day of victory, sadness, celebration, remembrance and pride I walked the streets of Moscow taking in the colors and the sensations of the day.  I walked feeling proud of the Russians for their victory in 1945 and distraught for what they suffered achieving that victory and for all of the tragedy they have since.  I watched as happy citizens frolicked through the streets, somber veterans received flowers and thanks communist party members rallied on Pushkin Square.  I watched as tanks and missiles moved along the boulevards, in a show of strength unseen since before the fall of the Soviet Union.  I watched all day absorbing all of the emotions and excitement of the day.  When the bright flashes of the Victory Day fireworks died out and the sky grew black again I sat and quietly thought about all I had seen, all Russia has achieved and suffered and I pondered what lies ahead in Russia's future.