In Ekaterinburg a woman was reportedly detained with a banner inscribed with another traditional May Day slogan, “Peace to the World.” In St Petersburg a man was arrested for carrying a board with the traditional May Day slogan of “Peace, Work, May”, with an added Z symbol with a red mark across it. In spite of the cancellation of official events, on 1 May a few small sporadic gatherings took place in cities all over Russia, to which some people turned up with anti-war banners. Labour Day parades come with their own risk. Even conservative western estimates hover around the 60,000 mark – more than triple the 15,000 Soviet troops killed in the 10-year Afghan war. While official Russian figures have pointed to fewer than 6,000 military casualties in Ukraine, Ukraine claims approximately 150,000 Russian military personnel have been killed. Allegedly the “terrorist” threat comes from Ukraine – Russian media reported on 24 April that a downed Ukrainian drone was found 30km (20 miles) from Moscow – but it seems difficult to accept that Russia’s air defences cannot guarantee the safety of Moscow’s skies during the country’s biggest patriotic celebration of the year, particularly at a time when Putin has been stoking Russian nationalist feelings to garner support for his war in Ukraine.Ī Ukrainian drone attack on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade would be humiliating for Putin, but it seems more likely that he’s worried about the potential humiliation of thousands of civilians marching with the portraits of sons and husbands fallen in Ukraine.

Civil War by Ed Brubaker