Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has condemned the May 9 Victory Day celebrations planned for Moscow’s Red Square as a “parade of fear.”
In a video address taken while walking in Kyiv, Zelensky compared events in the Ukrainian capital ahead of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany with “the columns of tanks and marching blocks of killers” on display in Moscow.
His comments on Thursday follow his nightly address in which he referred to drones that have targeted Moscow and other parts of Russia, saying that it is “entirely fair” that Russian skies are not calm.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
Zelensky’s latest comments follow his call for a 30-day ceasefire that had been agreed with the U.S. but rejected by Putin.
The Russian president has unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire over the course of the Victory Day celebrations, which will be a key propaganda event for the Kremlin in light of its aggression in Ukraine.
But a barrage of Ukrainian drones has shut down airports in Moscow and targeted Russian military facilities. Zelensky’s earlier comments about how Russian skies are not calm will add to speculation that Kyiv intends to disrupt the event.
What To Know
In the clip released Thursday, Zelensky is seen filming himself as he walks on the sidewalk in Kyiv as traffic flows past.
In the clip, he said he wanted to compare what is happening in Kyiv’s Independence Square with what was taking place in Moscow’s Red Square, where rehearsals involving military vehicles and troops are taking place.
The video cuts to undated footage from Red Square where troops and military equipment go by, as he referred to columns of tanks as well as “marching blocks of killers” and “staged crowds.”
In an epic street rant in central Kyiv, Zelensky calls Putin’s May 9th propaganda festival “bile and lies” while greeting passersby. pic.twitter.com/prdEa1QuoO
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 8, 2025
Zelensky said that Moscow had repeated the evil of Hitler in Ukraine as he made a comparison between atrocities of the Nazis and what happened in the full-scale invasion.
Zelensky said that Friday’s event in Red Square will be a “parade of cynicism…of bile and lies” as if it were Putin who personally defeated Nazism.
But this ignored the sacrifices made in World War II by many, including Ukrainians, while today nearly every Ukrainian family had a hero who is fighting against a new evil, he added.
On Wednesday night, Zelensky referred to the drones that have grounded flights in the Russian capital and targeted military facilities and said it was “entirely fair” that Russian skies are not calm ahead of Victory Day celebrations.
Earlier Zelensky had said Ukraine could not guarantee the security of world leaders attending the celebrations in Moscow. Since then, Kyiv has made veiled threats, with the head of Ukrainian military intelligence General Kyrylo Budanov saying that Russians watching the skies on Friday should “bring ear plugs.”
On Thursday, the Atesh partisan group said it had disrupted communications at several Russian military facilities and destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the Moscow region.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky on Thursday: “It will be a parade of cynicism…a parade of bile and lies…a parade of fear.”
He said on Wednesday: “It is entirely fair that the Russian sky—the sky of the aggressor—is not calm either.”
What Happens Next
Around 20 world leaders are expected to attend Friday’s event, which the Kremlin hopes will pass off without a hitch. Those taking part are allies such as the presidents of China and Belarus, President Xi Jinping and Alexander Lukashenko.
The prime minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, will be the only EU leader scheduled to attend, despite criticism from Brussels. Aleksandar Vučić, the leader of Serbia, which is seeking EU membership, will also attend.
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