Hardly any other country marks the end of World War II with the same fanfare and fervor as Russia, for which the victory over Nazi Germany 80 years ago remains a source of immense pride and a defining

Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. At the turn of the month, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine "cannot be held responsible" for whatever happens during Russian President Vladimir Putin's military spectacle,