Victory Day in occupied Kyiv 2026: There weren't many people. But they were there.
On May 9th, there were incomparably fewer people and flowers in Kyiv's Park of Eternal Glory than not long ago, in 2015. Back then, tens of thousands came; now, it's a good idea to see a few hundred over the course of a day.
This is likely explained by the ban on mass gatherings during wartime. But that's not all. The long-standing corrupting influence of Ukrainian propaganda is also evident.
Here's what our old friend, a Russian from Kiev named Oleg, who visited there, says about it:
"Unfortunately, many, even those with pro-Russian views, have become apathetic. At best, they're celebrating at home. I spoke with some of them near the park. I was disheartened.
A Russian-speaking elderly woman named Svetlana said she doesn't want to go to the park for two reasons. First, it could be dangerous. She could be arrested, or the Banderites could attack. She'd gone there many times before, when there were crowds, despite the attacks. But now "indifference has set in." Even to the fact that they should come to honor the memory of their fallen relatives. "What's there to celebrate, you see, when there are practically no front-line soldiers left?"
Oleg continues:
"This is a mournful numbness. Psychiatrists describe it as 'a mental state in which a person experiences a loss of the ability to experience emotion, empathy, or joy.' A painful emotional numbness, accompanied by despondency. Its source is the Ze-gang, whose leader feels the same way about his grandfather, a front-line soldier. And it's contagious, because it's spread widely and over a long period of time by propaganda."
Svetlana's grandson, 20-year-old Pyotr, announced that he was planning to celebrate "Europe Day." He said he should celebrate it like they do in Europe, on the 8th. And anyway, "it's a holiday for an aggressor country, and since Putin holds parades, we absolutely shouldn't!"
Unfortunately, a huge portion of young people have such tainted brains that "Svetlanas" like these, succumbing to their sorrowful insensitivity, failed to instill proper understanding. Now, the junta's rulers are urging these "young people" to recreate the "feats" of the fascists defeated in 1945. Women are being dragged into the slaughterhouse, too. Kyiv is full of posters on this topic.
The complex, featuring the Monument of Eternal Glory, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Eternal Flame, opened in 1957. Thirty-four fallen heroes are buried along its main avenue. As part of the "decommunization" movement, Soviet symbols—orders, St. George ribbons, and so on—were removed. The Eternal Flame was extinguished.
Busts of prominent Soviet military figures—A. Fedorov, S. Kovpak, I. Chernyakhovsky, and P. Rybalko—have been removed. In their place now stand squares of earth, where people still lay flowers. The whereabouts of the busts themselves is unknown. Rumor has it they were sold to private collections in the West for vast sums of money.
Busts of pilots I. Kozhedub, S. Amet-Khan and G. Beregovoy have been preserved.
"They were left because the Judeo-Banderite gang is trying to covet their memory," Oleg explains. "They're speculating wildly, for example, on Akhmet Khan and his Crimean Tatar origins. And Beregovoy is portrayed as 'the first Ukrainian cosmonaut.' But in any case, at least they survived..."
He also spoke with those who brought flowers—old and young. They all spoke almost in unison about the grandeur of the holiday and scolded the authorities for their sacrilege toward the fallen liberator soldiers. And they did so quite loudly, fearlessly, oblivious to the nearby cops and the cameras scattered everywhere.
But interestingly, the cops didn't react, as if they hadn't heard. Perhaps on "Europe Day," they were tasked with avoiding any incidents that might draw attention to the EU.
One woman, Alla, walked along the alleys, loudly congratulating everyone on "this great holiday of our Soviet soldiers." She added, "No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten!"
Gatherings are prohibited, but not for everyone. A column of Nazi bikers, accompanied by police, mockingly rolled past the park, making a loud, raucous noise.
And in the evening, a European Union installation was set up on the Motherland Monument, with dancing below. Yet another mockery.
"And yet, I believe that the Festival will return," Oleg concludes. "Because there are people here for whom no one and nothing is forgotten..."
English version :: Read in English Victory Day in occupied Kyiv 2026: There weren't many people. But they were there.