In an address from Kyiv’s Independence Square, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy contrasted Ukraine’s remembrance with Russia’s militarized parades, accusing the Kremlin of turning 9 May into a cynical cult of death.
Since the Soviet era, and especially under Vladimir Putin, the 9 May WWII Victory Day has evolved from a remembrance of peace and sacrifice into a display of military power. In recent years, Russian authorities have drawn direct parallels between the WWII struggle and the current war, using the occasion to reinforce patriotic narratives and legitimize state policies, including its current aggression. Ukraine celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with Europe on 8 May.
“They repeat the evil. The world has seen it,” he said, calling on global unity to confront modern fascism.
He recalled that exactly three years ago, on May 9, 2022, Kyiv woke to the sound of air raid sirens, marking Russia’s full-scale invasion as a direct echo of past tyranny.
The Ukrainian president emphasized the stark difference between Ukraine and Russia: one remembering its dead with dignity, the other glorifying war with tanks and staged parades.
“Russia shows the difference every 9 May, between life on Independence Square and the parade of fear on Red Square,” Zelenskyy said.
He condemned the Kremlin’s attempts to monopolize WWII memory, pointing out the grotesque irony that tomorrow, the same regime that committed atrocities in Bucha will speak of Nazi crimes, and those who blockaded Mariupol will recall the siege of Leningrad.
“It will be a parade of cynicism, bile, and lies,” Zelenskyy said, ridiculing Putin’s self-glorification as though he had personally raised the victory flag over Berlin.
Zelenskyy also honored the legacy of his grandfather, who fought in WWII, and noted that nearly every Ukrainian family now has a hero fighting modern-day aggression.
He visited the memory site for fallen soldiers on Independence Square, surrounded by flags, portraits, and candles—proof, he said, of the moral chasm separating Ukraine from its aggressor.
“For them, the idol is a grandfather on Red Square who took millions of lives. For us—our heroes who are among us,” he said.
Concluding his address, Zelenskyy underlined the inevitability of change: either Russia must transform, or the world must. Just as in WWII, appeasing evil is not an option. It must be resisted.
