Under President Vladimir Putin’s rule, the annual May 9 grand military parade on Red Square in Moscow has transformed into the main ideological prop to legitimize his regime. Changes have already been made to the Russian constitution and additional legislation is being introduced making it a felony to publicly question or rewrite the official version of the events of World War II. According to Putin, continued efforts to alter the history of World War II are being sponsored by the West (the United States), “who, after the end of the Cold War, believed they won and want to overturn the post-war global order and, for that, need to rewrite history.” The Kremlin leader has asserted the existence of “new collaborators” who, like those collaborating during the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War against the Nazis, are today abetting the West in undermining the Soviet-era legacy of heroism and sacrifice.
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Russian servicemen march along Red Square in Moscow on May 7, 2021, during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade.
