Every May 9, Victory Day takes place in Russia to mark the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany. Last year, the parade still took place, and Vladimir Putin may have wanted it to celebrate winning his Ukraine invasion, but that didn’t happen. Also, hackers interrupted the TV propaganda machine, and one year later, Putin has clearly not seen victory in Ukraine. He recently canned a high commander and has lengthened recruitment contracts, and god only knows how long this war will drag out because Russia will have to be forced out to admit defeat.
Also, Russian troops have been abandoning tanks (after fleeing the battlefield in large numbers) for months in Ukrainian cities. This could be contributing to an existing issue because now there aren’t enough tanks to hold proper Victory Day parades in Russia. As Newsweek relays, parades began to drop off the schedule in some cities, and the originally cited reason (“for security reasons”) has been adjusted. As well, explaining the situation as not wanting to “provoke” Ukraine didn’t work out either. Here’s the tank-fueled rationale:
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, said that the parade “would also not be held in order not to provoke the enemy with a large number of vehicles and soldiers” in the center of the regional capital, Russian Telegram channel ASTRA reported.
However, the Twitter account of Tendar, which provides updates about the war in Ukraine, wrote that the decision was taken “because they simply have not enough functioning tanks to run up and down the road.”
Additionally, we’ve heard that Putin’s army is running so low on ammunition that they’re using supplies that could “explode in your face.” Recruits are being told to bring tampons to treat their own bullet wounds and lacerations, and also, there’s that alleged Viagra shortage to complicate matters. Now, that’s embarrassing for Russia.
(Via Newsweek)