Russia-Ukraine War: Zelenskyy vows Ukraine will soon have 'two Victory Days'

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that his country would soon have "two Victory Days" in commemoration of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. On May 9, Zelenskyy delivered a video address to the war-torn country. He emphasised that Ukraine will never forget what its forefathers did during World War II, where more than 8 million Ukrainians died and one in every five Ukrainians did not return home, according to Zelenskyy.

He emphasised, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left. We won then, we will win now, too."

The victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany has long been celebrated as a national holiday in the countries of the former Soviet Union, which experienced the largest death toll of any nation in World War II, with up to 27 million people died. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin took power, the occasion has taken on increasingly militaristic connotations, culminating in a raucous military parade in Moscow's Red Square to display the country's latest military weapons.

However, in order to attract Western backing and remove itself from Soviet-era customs, Ukraine is drawing analogies between the horrors inflicted on Europe by the Nazis and the invasion of Russia this year. Since 2015, remembrance events have been held not only on May 9, as in Soviet times, but also on May 8, dubbed "Day of Memory and Reconciliation," in keeping with European traditions.

No escalation announcement at Putin's 'Victory Day' speech

At the 'Victory Day' parade commemorating the Soviet Union's WWII victory over Nazi Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia's forces in Ukraine were "fighting for the motherland, its future." Putin, however, did not use his Victory Day speech in Moscow's Red Square to announce a full mobilisation or "war" against Ukraine, as some experts and Western diplomats feared.

Further, the Russian President continued to refer to Russia's incursion as a "special military operation," as he has done since February 24. There was no triumphant announcement. Putin, however, accused the West of creating the basis for "an invasion of our land" in brief remarks at the parade, and said NATO constituted a "obvious threat" to Russia.

Image: AP