While the Kremlin attempted to project military strength during its annual May 9 celebrations, activists in Estonia and Poland utilized the date to highlight the reality of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, Postimees reported.
In the Estonian border town of Narva, which sits directly across from the Russian city of Ivangorod, the Narva Museum draped a massive banner over the castle walls at midnight. The poster featured an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the message: “Putin – a war criminal”.
“The free world calls things by their proper names. Memory of victory does not give the right to new crimes!” said Maria Smorzhevskaya-Smirnova, director of the Narva Museum. The museum noted that the banner serves as a reminder of the genocide currently being committed against the Ukrainian people.
The placement of the poster has become an annual tradition in Narva, often timed to counter the concerts and propaganda broadcasts directed at the town by Russian authorities from across the border.
A ‘сemetery’ in Warsaw
In Poland, members of the “Euromaidan-Warsaw” initiative staged a grim installation in front of the Russian embassy. Dozens of activists placed 100 crosses bearing the photographs of Ukrainian children killed by the Russian military, Ukrinfrom reported.
Natalia Panchenko, leader of the Warsaw Euromaidan, stated that the goal was to dismantle Russia’s claim of being a state that “defeated fascism.”
“These crosses symbolize the Ukrainian children killed by the Russian army… Russia is a terrorist state that is waging a genocidal war,” Panchenko told reporters.
According to data cited during the rally, more than 700 Ukrainian children have been killed, 3,000 wounded, and over 20,000 illegally deported to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. Activists demanded the immediate return of all kidnapped children and called for greater international pressure on the Kremlin.
Moscow’s muted celebration
The protests occurred as Putin delivered a defiant speech on Red Square, claiming Russia would emerge victorious in its “special military operation”.
However, the 2026 parade was a visibly diminished affair. For the first time since 2007, the parade featured no heavy military equipment, consisting solely of marching units.
A column of North Korean soldiers, reportedly having seen combat in Russia’s Kursk region, participated in the march.
The event took place during a temporary “no-strike zone” established by a decree from President Volodymyr Zelensky. The humanitarian gesture was aimed at facilitating a major exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war.
Despite the temporary humanitarian pause, the atmosphere remains tense, with world leaders and activists emphasizing that the symbolic weight of May 9 cannot mask the daily reality of Russian strikes across Ukraine.