Gearing up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII on May 9 Victory Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes to showcase Russia’s military superiority. With the U.S., Britain and France boycotting the celebration due to Russia’s March 1, 2014 invasion of Crimea, the Kremlin moves full steam ahead sparing no pomp-and-circumstance to commemorate the great Nazi defeat when the Red Army besieged Berlin and Hitler’s bunker April 30, 1945. Unlike the U.S. that lost some 450,000 soldiers in WWII, between the war in Europe and Pacific, Russia lost about 20 million or about one third of the total WWII war deaths, exceeding 60 million. Russia’s casualties were so staggering, so unthinkable, so horrific, that it takes an indelible toll on the Russian psyche. No one can comprehend Russian behavior without appreciating its losses in WWII.
Russia’s recent poll indicates that 69% of the Russian public believe they would have defeated the Nazi’s without U.S. involvement on the Western Front. Given the West’s economic sanctions causing hardship in Russia, Putin uses “V-Day” to whip up patriotism, reminding the beleaguered Russians of the sacrifices made by Russians to end Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror on Europe. Putin and Kremlin officials want respect from world for its sacrifices, estimated at about $5 trillion dollars in property losses fighting the Nazis. When you consider German casualties were about one third of Russia’s at 7,375,000, it’ no wonder German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a different perspective on U.N. Security Council sanctions against Moscow. No German can lash out at Russia with a clear conscience, knowing the unfathomable humans sacrifices and financial toll on Russians to end WWII.
When you consider the collective misery wreaked on Russia, Europe and U.S. by the Germans, it’s no wonder Merkel doesn’t have the heart to join the Western Alliance piling more sanctions on Russia. Apart from Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, Putin’s aggression with Ukraine only makes sense when you consider Russia’s historical losses of blood-and-treasure through its history. Sovietologists and Russian experts have tried to figure out Russian behavior for years, especially after the end of the Soviet Union Dec. 26, 1991. “It’s the only opportunity for the nation to assert itself. There are no other foundations of national pride left,” said sociologist Lev Gudkov, director of the independent pollster Levda Center,” explaining why the Kremlin puts so much money into glitzy commemorations. Gudkov thinks the May 9 “V-Day” celebration sends a message to the West about Russian power.
Since the end of the Soviet Union Dec. 26, 1991, Russia sought to reinstate itself as one of the world’s superpowers. Kremlin officials have a long memory about the U.S. backing of Islamic radicals led by Osama bin Laden to fight Soviet occupation in Afghanistan. Fighting a nearly 10-year war between Dec. 24, 1979 and Feb. 15, 1989, the Soviet Union lost 14,453 soldiers, in part because the U.S. sabotaged the Russian-backed government with Bin Laden’s Islamic radicals. “This is the triumph of the Soviet Union over Hitler’s Germany and at the same time a triumph over the West. It’s a declaration of might, the transformation into a superpower,” said Gudkov, connecting WWII and more recent wars with the Kremlin’s behavior. While there’s little connection between Putin’s moves in Ukraine and past wars, Putin wanted to send a strong message to the U.S. to stop meddling in Russia’s backyard.
Rank-and-file Russian’s see the “V-Day” parade as an expression of patriotism and national pride. With Putin controlling the Russian press, Russia has lived on a steady died of propaganda since Putin first took office May 7, 2000. Kremlin propagandists controlling the Russian media present Russia as a victim of Western aggression, especially Putin’s narrative blaming the CIA for toppling Kremlin-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich Feb. 22, 2014. “I’m proud of the victory of the Soviet Union, but neither of them exists anymore. Russian looks on the map the way it did in the 17th century,” said 62-year-old Russian engineer Alexander Mikhailov. “The victory should be celebrated as long as the country is using the fruits of the victory,” referring to the current government austerity measures brought about because of Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
Deciding to boycott Russia’s 70th anniversary of defeating Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, the Western alliance, excluding Germany, fails to appreciate Russian sacrifices in WWII. However much the U.S. and allies helped defeat Hitler, there’s no question that no one in WWII sacrificed more than Russia. If Germany’s Angela Merkel wants to take a more nuanced stance with Moscow, it’s because of Germany’s unthinkable destruction during WWII. “We need to talk about the contradictory nature of the event, the complexity of the war, about the fact that along with victories, there was a lot of personal grief and a lot of dubious achievements,” said 37-year-old history teacher Olga Graf, reminding Russians about the brutal repression and mass murders under Russia’s WWII leader Joseph Stalin. However the 70th “V-Day” celebration works out, the Western Alliance needs to see the Russian perspective.
