“Welcome to Putin’s annual flex-a-thon on May 9—the only parade where the tanks have more charisma than the guests! This year’s ‘Victory Day 2025’ turned into a full-blown Dictator Meetup™,” mocks the latest satirical video by the digital creators group OBVIA.
The sarcastic clip lampoons the pageantry of the event, highlighting the irony of world leaders proudly attending Vladimir Putin’s grandiose military display while subtly critiquing their decision to legitimize Russia’s regime.
As rows of soldiers rehearse their rigid formations under the shadow of tanks, Moscow prepares for Russia’s most sacred holiday, ‘Victory Day 2025,’ marking the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat. But beneath the spectacle lies a troubling question: By attending Putin’s parade, are international dignitaries unwittingly endorsing what critics label as ‘Rashism,’ a modern mutation of fascism disguised by historical victories?
Moscow’s soldiers rehearse for the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square, 2025. Rows of young troops march in step beneath rows of parked buses, practicing for Russia’s most sacred holiday. This year marks the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, a victory Russians celebrate with pride. But as tanks rumble toward Red Square and jets scream overhead, an uneasy question hangs in the spring air: Are the foreign leaders joining Vladimir Putin at this parade simply honoring history, or risking the legitimization of what critics call a new form of fascism in Russia?
A Parade of World Leaders – and Controversy
President Putin has invited dozens of dignitaries to the grand May 9 celebration. Many have agreed to stand beside him in a show of defiance against Western isolation. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend as an honored guest, using the occasion for high-profile talks on a “strategic partnership” with Moscow. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is also expected, reflecting Brazil’s bid for neutrality and dialogue in the war. Traditional allies like Belarus’s strongman Alexander Lukashenko and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić plan to come as well. Even Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, a member of the European Union, broke ranks with his EU peers to announce he will attend.
These leaders cite various reasons. Some, like Xi and Lukashenko, see Russia as a strategic ally and May 9 as a shared remembrance of sacrifice. Others, like Lula, frame their visit as outreach, hoping to mediate or maintain ties in a polarized world. Fico and Vučić invoke historical gratitude, noting their nations’ respect for Russia’s role in defeating Nazi Germany. And a handful of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America view the parade as a symbol of a “multipolar” world not dictated by the West.
Yet any top leader who shows up will be aligning themselves with Putin’s regime and openly defying the strong anti-Russian sentiment in the West. Attendance is a bold statement of which side of the geopolitical divide they stand on. Notably absent will be figures like India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who declined Putin’s invitation despite India’s historic ties with Moscow. Most Western leaders have shunned the event entirely since Russia invaded Ukraine; even those once friendly have drawn the line at appearing on Putin’s reviewing stand.
Why Attending This Parade Is So Controversial
Standing beside Putin on Victory Day isn’t a simple act of remembrance – it’s fraught with political meaning. Critics argue that by attending the parade, foreign dignitaries risk sending a message of approval for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and its authoritarian turn. Key concerns include:
- Legitimizing Putin’s Regime: The Kremlin will surely tout the presence of high-profile guests as proof that Russia isn’t isolated. “Russia may leverage the presence of European leaders to bolster its narrative of legitimacy and international support amid ongoing sanctions and diplomatic isolation,” one analysis noted. Every handshake on the VIP podium could be clipped for Russian state TV to show its people that even world powers like China and Brazil endorse Putin’s leadership.
- Undermining International Pressure: Western nations have tried to isolate Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. When an EU leader like Slovakia’s Fico breaks ranks, it highlights cracks in what was meant to be a unified front. Diplomats worry that such visits could weaken resolve for sanctions or make it harder to present a united condemnation of Russia’s aggression. It “may strain relations with other EU member states” and erode EU unity, experts warn.
- Endorsing a False Narrative: Victory Day is not just a military parade – it’s a stage for Putin’s narrative that today’s Russia carries the torch of 1945, fighting “Nazis” once again. Foreign leaders at the parade risk appearing to buy into this narrative (whether they intend to or not). “Any visit during wartime inevitably serves as tacit approval of Russia’s actions in Ukraine,” Ukrainian officials have cautioned. It can seem like agreement with Putin’s claim that his war is a righteous battle against neo-Nazism, rather than unprovoked aggression.
- Security and Provocation Risks: With the war raging, even the safety of the event is a concern. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointedly warned that his government “cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation” on May 9. He cautioned that Russia could stage “arson, bombings and so on, only to blame us”. In other words, any incident, like the drone attack Moscow reported days before the parade, could be twisted to smear Ukraine if foreign VIPs are present. After Zelenskyy’s remarks urging caution, Putin’s ally Dmitry Medvedev lashed out and threatened that “in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day, nobody will be able to guarantee that Kyiv will live to see May 10”. Such heated rhetoric only underscores how tense and politicized this year’s parade has become.
Slovakia’s Robert Fico even scolded Zelenskyy for advising foreign delegations to stay away, accusing the Ukrainian leader of overstepping. But Ukrainian and Western observers insist Zelenskyy’s warnings are warranted. Attending a wartime celebration hosted by the very country bombing Ukrainian cities every day is, at best, deeply controversial. As one European official put it, appearing in Moscow now “does not reflect [our] shared values and position” on the war.
Russia’s War Memory: Defeating Fascism or Embracing It?
Moscow’s Victory Day narrative is built on a proud historical truth: the Soviet Union’s sacrifices helped defeat Nazi fascism in 1945. At every May 9 parade, Putin invokes that heroic legacy. He praises Russia as the nation that saved Europe from Hitler’s tyranny, positioning today’s Russia as the inheritor of an anti-fascist mantle. In Putin’s telling, Russia cannot be fascist – after all, their grandfathers died liberating the world from it. This narrative has powerful emotional resonance for Russians, for whom the Great Patriotic War is a sacred memory. The holiday itself has become a “state-protected ideology,” where questioning the official history is outlawed.
But critics say the Kremlin’s use of World War II memory is a cynical manipulation. Victory Day has been hijacked, as Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace remarked in 2022: Putin and his generals are “mirroring the fascism and tyranny of 70 years ago” even as they commemorate defeating it. In a speech for Victory Day, Wallace accused Putin of “hijacking the annual commemoration” of the Nazi defeat to justify his war on Ukraine. Indeed, Putin has repeatedly used false claims about “de-Nazifying” Ukraine to legitimize the invasion. State propaganda incessantly labels Ukraine’s leaders as “Nazis” and frames Russia’s brutal war as a righteous continuation of the fight against fascism.
This is what many call “Rashism”, a term combining “Russian” and “fascism.” It’s a label increasingly used by Ukrainian officials, historians, and even some Russian dissidents to describe Putin’s ultra-nationalist, repressive ideology. In May 2023, Ukraine’s parliament officially declared Putin’s regime to be “a neo-imperial, totalitarian dictatorship that imitates the worst practices of the past and embodies the ideas of fascism… in a modern version of Russian fascism.” In other words, they argue Putin’s Russia has adopted the very tactics of fascist and Nazi regimes – one-party rule, cult of personality, military expansionism, and rampant propaganda – all while claiming to fight fascism.
Independent analysts note that anyone opposing the Kremlin can be branded a “Nazi” in Russian discourse, no matter how absurd the claim. By draining the word of real meaning, Putin’s government has turned “anti-fascism” into a propaganda weapon, even as it exhibits classic hallmarks of fascist regimes. The irony is stark: foreign leaders at the Victory parade will hear speeches about remembering the defeat of Nazi Germany, while standing in a country that many observers say is sliding toward fascism itself. “Their unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine… corrupts the memory of past sacrifices and Russia’s once-proud global reputation,” Wallace warned in his address.
Global Implications Heading Into Summer 2025
The choices made on May 9 will echo far beyond Red Square. For Ukraine, seeing world leaders mingle with Putin on the reviewing stand is a blow to morale and diplomacy. Each friendly photo-op in Moscow risks undermining Ukraine’s efforts to rally international support against Russia’s invasion. It’s no coincidence that Kyiv invited top European Union officials to visit Ukraine on May 9 – a symbolic counter-move to Moscow’s parade. Ukraine wants the world to remember who the aggressor is. As one Kyiv official lamented, foreign attendance at Putin’s parade “leads to war crimes and the genocide of the Ukrainian people” by encouraging Moscow’s sense of impunity.
European unity is also being tested. When a NATO/EU-country leader like Slovakia’s Fico breaks ranks, it raises uncomfortable questions in Brussels. Will other nations soften their stance if Russia manages to peel off more partners? Diplomats worry about a snowball effect: today it’s a couple of leaders attending a parade; tomorrow it could be weaker support for sanctions or less military aid to Ukraine. The optics of even a single EU flag flying in Moscow on Victory Day give Putin exactly what he wants – evidence of division in Europe.
For the broader international community, this Victory Day underscores a shifting diplomatic landscape. Countries like China, India, Brazil and South Africa (the BRICS bloc) have been walking a tightrope, not endorsing Russia’s war, but also not fully joining Western pressure. Lula’s decision to attend (if he follows through) suggests a more assertive Global South stance that prioritizes dialogue over isolation. It could signal that by June 2025, efforts at peace talks might gain steam, albeit on terms very different from those the West or Ukraine would prefer. China’s Xi will use his Moscow visit not only to bolster ties, but to potentially position Beijing as a powerbroker. Any Xi-Putin statements or agreements around May 9 will be closely watched in Western capitals for signs of a united front or movement on ending the conflict.
Meanwhile, Russia will emerge from the parade claiming a propaganda victory. State media is already trumpeting that “leaders from 20 countries” are coming to Moscow. The Kremlin will likely double down on its narrative that the world is split, and that many nations reject Western “hypocrisy” and still respect Russia. This narrative, if it gains traction, complicates diplomatic efforts. It could make Putin less likely to compromise in peace negotiations, believing time and international will are on his side as some countries waver in solidarity against him.
Emotionally, the spectacle on Red Square will be jarring for those who still remember the unity of Allied nations in World War II. In 1945, the world celebrated together the defeat of fascism. In 2025, the world is split on how to deal with a Russia that claims to carry that same anti-fascist torch even as it ravages its neighbor. Tight formations of soldiers will goose-step past the Kremlin walls, displaying Russia’s military might, but also, to many eyes, displaying an increasingly militarized, authoritarian culture. The symbolism is not lost on historians. “Victory over fascism” is being reframed in real time – used by Moscow to justify war, and by its critics to condemn Moscow’s own ideology.
As June 2025 approaches, the fallout from Victory Day will likely influence global diplomacy. NATO and EU leaders, alarmed by the Moscow spectacle, may push to shore up unity and reassure Ukraine that most of the democratic world remains by its side. Ukraine will press its counteroffensive with renewed urgency, determined to prove on the battlefield that appeasing Putin is a mistake. And countries that sent their leaders to stand with Putin will have to answer to the international community – and perhaps to their own people – about what values that photo-op truly served.
In the end, Moscow’s Victory Day celebration is supposed to honor the defeat of fascism. But in 2025, it has become a Rorschach test for the world’s conscience. Does joining Putin’s parade honor a shared history, or does it help whitewash new tyranny? Each leader on the reviewing stand must weigh that question. Standing in Red Square for a few hours might win Putin’s favor or highlight historical bonds – but it also risks validating a regime that many say has embraced the darkest tactics of the past.
