The Russian soldiers who occupy Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine seemed excited about the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, the Russian holiday that marks the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The soldiers posted videos on social media, verified by The New York Times, of themselves hanging colorful posters and banners with messages in Russian like “Happy Victory Day.” One poster said “Immortal Regiment” and showed photos of veterans from the Soviet Union who fought in the war. Others proclaimed “Proud of Victory 1941-1945” and “80 years of the Great Victory.” One video showed the red flag of the Soviet Union with its hammer and sickle.
But almost no one lives in Bakhmut anymore. It’s a gray bombed-out ghost town, once home to about 70,000 people. In Bakhmut, and other cities in the Russian-occupied territories of eastern Ukraine, the holiday on Fridaywill be a muted affair, with small concerts and parades, sometimes against a background of rubble.
A senior Russian intelligence officer with the call sign Amur, from the 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the Southern Group, told the Tass news agency in mid-April that his division had ordered Victory Day posters for Bakhmut with the help of the region’s pro-Russian governor.
“This city had already been liberated,” he told Tass. “It is a Russian city.”
In Russia, Victory Day is rife with symbolism, especially this year when President Vladimir V. Putin is trying to show that his Russia is the heir-apparent of the Soviet Union in its heyday, and will soon defeat Ukraine.
Plans call for a giant military show in Moscow for more than two dozen world leaders.
By comparison, if social media is any guide, Victory Day celebrations in the occupied territories will be far more modest, though widespread. They will include the hanging of posters and paintings, and the occasional concert or quickie parade. Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader in the Russia-held part of the Donetsk region — which includes Bakhmut — has said there would be more than 57,000 “memorial, celebratory and other events” over several months to celebrate the holiday.
