Victory Day: Or Parades, Sausages, and Distorted Footage

On May 9, Russia commemorated the eightieth anniversary of the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany, known as "Victory Day." Amidst Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine, Verstka explored how current events are interpreted (and distorted) through education, events, food, and art  with the heroic narratives of the Second World War .

In the days leading up to Victory Day, Russian authorities heavily intimated that their ongoing invasion of their neighbor is connected to the battles of 1945. Their first target was schools. In Sevastopol, illegally-annexed Crimea, teenagers in an arts-oriented high school showcased a play about Vasily Tarkin, a fictitious Soviet soldier in World War II. In this new version, Tarkin fights against Ukrainians.

On May 4, Vladivostok held an event called "Great-grandchildren of Victory." Primorsky Krai governor Oleg Kozhemyako said, "Today, the children whose parents are fighting at the front will march in the parade units... We know for sure that, as in the distant 1945, the enemy will be defeated and victory will be ours." Over 1500 children attended the march, including students from North Korea. 

In "Conversations about the Important," a mandatory school subject where students "discuss" current events, soldiers returning from Ukraine led talks on the Second World War. In some institutions, parents lectured children on how the "indifferent attitude" of Russian society towards World War II led to the invasion of Ukraine.

Officials in Mordovia held the "Heroes of My Land" festival, where they showcased exploits of Russian soldiers in Ukraine accompanied by images of Soviet soldiers in World War II. In addition, authorities opened the mobile museum "To Be a Hero Is to Live Forever." The local government's goal in these events were patriotic education and "the prevention of destructive manifestations."

On May 8, local residents in Stavropol were shown 3D projections of the Great Patriotic War (the Russian name for World War II) mixed with those of the "special military operation." The show is said to have cost R6 million (over $72,000). The city's mayor also treated 40 veterans from 1945 and soldiers who fought in Ukraine to a meal at a restaurant. The menu included pancakes with caviar, salmon steaks, and duck with apples, among other delicacies.

Indeed, food was a key part of Victory Day this year. In Nizhny Novgorod, the local government distributed over 900 sets of Bavarian sausages, condensed milk, and Belochka candles to World War II vets and families of soldiers in Ukraine. In Odinstovo, Moscow Oblast, about 4,000 sets of canned sprats, meat stews, and other products were gifted. In other regions of Russia, World War II veterans were given R3000 ($363) and tea bags.

Russian galleries also hosted art exhibits that compared the events of the Great Patriotic War with the "Special Military Operation." The Russian Academy of Arts, in conjunction with the Russian Ministry of Culture, presented the installation "Faith-Feat-Victory." The project included over 200 works of art that showcased, as Science Minister Olga Petrova said, subjects "from brutal battles to peaceful life and the long-awaited victory." The exhibition included works from veterans from different wars, including rehabilitated soldiers who returned from Ukraine. On April 10, a similar installation in the Moscow gallery Belayevo showcased pictures of the frontline from the Union of Journalists of Russia in occupied Donetsk.

Meduza also complied images of Victory Day throughout Russia. Access them here.