Russia defies calls to halt Victory Day parade rehearsals

Russia is holding rehearsals for its Victory Day parade, scheduled for 9 May despite the coronavirus crisis, as the Kremlin resists cancelling a patriotic holiday with major political significance.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is supposed to host France’s Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders at a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the second world war. The event is a significant historical landmark for Russia and a coveted photo opportunity to claim Putin’s re-emergence from political isolation in the west.

But with 12 million Muscovites confined to their apartments and a global pandemic ushering in a period of self-isolation, preparations for the parade have raised concerns in Russia.

 

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