Russians celebrate Victory Day on Monday, May 9. The annual event marks the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, but it has taken on added importance this year because of Ukraine.

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF JETS FLYING)

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

The sounds of Russian military jets and test runs over Red Square last week. Tomorrow, Russia celebrates Victory Day, an annual event to mark the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Only this year's event has taken on added intrigue and import because of Russia's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. NPR's Charles Maynes has been following it all from Moscow and will be watching the ceremonies tomorrow. Welcome.

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Hi there.

RASCOE: So, Charles, let's begin with why is there all this intrigue around this holiday this year?

MAYNES: Well, you know, May 9 is Russia's most venerated holiday. This is a day when the country honors the more than 20 million Soviets that perished in World War II. But under President Vladimir Putin, the day has also become a way to project Russian power today. You know, Putin has resurrected these Soviet-era displays of military might, you know, most grandly with this massive parade of weapons and soldiers on Red Square. And this is where he addresses the nation. That will all happen again tomorrow. But of course, this year's event comes as Russia is carrying out what it calls a special military operation against what the Kremlin insists are Nazis in present-day Ukraine.

And so there's intense speculation about what the Russian president will say. You know, the assumption is he's eager to declare some kind of symbolic victory. The problem - there aren't that many to point to after two months of fighting, even as the Kremlin insists its operation is going according to plan. And that's led to another concern. You know, maybe Putin will widen the conflict, perhaps by declaring war and mobilizing society to fight not only against Ukraine, but even the West.

RASCOE: Do we have any sense in what direction it will go?

MAYNES: The Kremlin insists there will be no declaration of war.

RASCOE: Yeah, but you can't really trust the Kremlin on that, right?

MAYNES: Exactly. So, you know, and just to step back, you know, the context here is that Russia is angry about Western arms pouring into Ukraine, and it's threatening to take action. You know, Putin recently even issued several not-so-thinly veiled reminders of Russia's nuclear might. But if we're looking for clues as to how Russia might pursue the optics of victory, it may lie in Mariupol. That's the port city that's been the scene of intense fighting since the conflict began. You know, Putin claimed Mariupol liberated in late April despite ongoing resistance from Ukrainian forces still holed up in a local steel factory. And we've seen a key Kremlin adviser and well-known figures from Russian-state media there in recent days. And, you know, in their actions and in their words, they draw this direct line between the Soviet victory over fascism in 1945 and their forces operating in Mariupol and other parts of east Ukraine today. So, you know, they seem to be preparing a torch-has-been-passed kind of moment, fusing past Soviet glory and sacrifice with today's mission.

RASCOE: Does the public see it that way?

MAYNES: You know, polling shows widespread support for Russia's actions in Ukraine, but the media environment now is very restrictive. And don't forget Russian authorities have also criminalized any questioning of the mission or the armed forces. But certainly a lot of Russians clearly feed on these parallels between World War II and the conflict in Ukraine. I want to play a bit of tape from a conversation I had with a man named Andrei Nikolaevich. He refused to give his last name to me because I'm a Western reporter, but I met him on Red Square as we watched some of the rehearsals for tomorrow's parade.

ANDREI NIKOLAEVICH: We have already had once, this victory in 1945. And we expect peace, but peace should be with victory over the Nazis, new Nazis who occupied all the country of Ukraine.

MAYNES: You know, there's no doubt where Andrei's sympathies lie, but he says he wants Putin to declare victory in Ukraine only when the mission is complete. And that's really the thing about the way modern Russia plays with historical memory. You know, having sold the Russian public on this narrative of fighting a new wave of fascism in Europe, the leadership here is risking that anything short of total victory might look like failure.

RASCOE: That's NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thank you.

MAYNES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Tags: President Vladimir Putin  Ukraine  Russia  Series: The Ukraine invasion, explained