On Wednesday, Moscow announced it had targeted the Kremlin with two marches before it was overthrown, calling the operation a “terrorist act and an attempted assassination of the President of the Russian Federation”, while Kiev denied having participated in it.
May 9 is an important day in Russia, which holds a huge military parade in Moscow’s Red Square every year to commemorate the “Great Patriotic War” against Nazi Germany.
Threat and Russian decisions
Russian cities have announced a reduction in Victory Day celebrations this year, as the governor of Saratov said the military parade would not take place due to “security concerns”. as well as the Crimea, canceled The annual military parades of the same. Nonetheless, the Kremlin has stressed that the main Victory Day parade will take place in Moscow despite the two parades incident, according to state news agency Tass. The Guardian newspaper opined that the war in Ukraine had brought about a further shift in the meaning of VE Day celebrations, with Putin seeking to draw historical parallels between the two wars, portraying Ukraine as a successor to the Nazi Germany. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the security services “are doing everything necessary to ensure security” on Victory Day. In response to the question whether there was a threat of Ukrainian attacks on May 9, Peskov added: “Of course we are aware that the Kiev regime, which is behind a number of attacks and terrorist acts of this type, plans to continue its line”.
Drone attacks
Western reports said there are indications that Russian authorities are also concerned about drone attacks on Russia’s two largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Ukraine has previously used drones deep in Russian territory, in one case striking an air base near Ryazan, a city just 240 km from Moscow. Security services in the capital, Moscow, announced the closure of Red Square to the public for two weeks, in preparation for the military parade. The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to cancel the aerial part of the parade in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, for security reasons.
prospective effects
Senior Russian affairs analyst at the Moscow-based International Crisis Group, Oleg Ignatov, believes in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia that drone attacks on the Kremlin today will impact future events that the Russia plans to organize in the coming period.
Regarding the expected Russian response to the attack on the Kremlin, Ignatov added: “I think there will be a reaction, because of course it is a very symbolic act and the Russian authorities will respond to it.”
And he felt that “the Kremlin is not just one of President Putin’s residences, but it is a symbol of Moscow itself, the center of the Russian capital.”
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
