OPINION: Parade of Absurdity: Russia Celebrates ‘Victory Over Fascism’ Amid Bakhmut’s Ruins

In celebration Russia’s May 9 “Victory Day,” Moscow’s occupying forces have filled the city of Bakhmut, the destruction of which its forces caused, with billboards and posters commemorating the end of the “Great Patriotic War” bearing slogans such as “Proud of the Victory” and “80 Years of the Great Victory.”

The presence of this propaganda strikes a deeply cynical and absurd note for most Ukrainians. The contrast is staggering as, amid the ruins of apartment blocks, scorched trees, and shattered streets, images have appeared featuring Soviet soldiers, St. George’s ribbons, and red stars.

Once known as Ukraine’s answer to France’s champagne region – thanks to its iconic sparkling wine factory – Bakhmut became the epicenter of one of the fiercest battles of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, or indeed at any time since 1945.

Screenshots of Russian propaganda billboards erected in the destroyed Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Photos: ostro.org

The fight for Bakhmut lasted nearly ten months – until Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat from a city almost entirely reduced to rubble. According to various estimates, about 80% of the city’s buildings were destroyed or severely damaged by artillery and aerial bombardment.

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Where once there were cozy streets and public landmarks, there are now only ashes. And where life once thrived, there is only silence. The soul of the city – its people – are gone. All that remains are dozens of vivid propaganda posters absurdly “honoring” the victory over fascism.

That victory is now celebrated by those who have themselves become the fascists of the 21st century. Those who unleashed the bloodiest war in decades, who annihilated a city using tanks and weapons adorned not with swastikas – but with a crooked letter Z.

All under the guise of fighting Nazism.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.