Moscow celebrates Victory Day as Ukraine reels from strike on school

Last updated May 9, 2022

The streets of Russia are set to be filled with pomp and circumstance on Monday as the country celebrates Victory Day, a commemoration of the Soviet Union’s World War II victory over the Nazis.

Though he has few successes to show from his lagging effort in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to speak in Moscow for the occasion, which Ukrainian officials have speculated may be used to formally acknowledge that the two countries are at war.

The day’s centerpiece will be a military parade with aircraft flyovers on Moscow’s Red Square. Celebrations are also expected to take place in Russian-occupied cities in Ukraine.

Last week, Russian forces were seen preparing for a parade in the shattered port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said.

Preparations come amid reports that an airstrike on a school in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine left dozens buried under the rubble and feared dead.

The attack in the village of Bilohorivka could rank among the deadliest strikes on civilians in Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES