What Russia’s low‑key Victory Day celebrations reveal about Putin and the war in Ukraine
Associated Press
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Ukrainian army officers lay flowers at a monument to pilots to mark Victory Day in World War II, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 8, 2026, as the Russian attack on Ukraine continues. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)Actors attend a historical reenactment depicting the arrival of trains after the end of the war as a part of celebrations ahead of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II, at the Baltiysky railway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)People lays flowers to the monument of the Unknown Soldier to mark Victory Day in World War II, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)Famous Ukrainian actor Volodymyr Talashko looks on at a monument to pilots to mark Victory Day in World War II, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 8, 2026, as the Russian attack on Ukraine continues. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Ukrainian army officers lay flowers at a monument to pilots to mark Victory Day in World War II, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 8, 2026, as the Russian attack on Ukraine continues. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)