Ukraine spoils Vladimir Putin’s May 9th parade

past week, shiny have rumbled down Tverskaya Street, Moscow’s main drag. Thousands of soldiers have marched across Red Square under Soviet flags as fighter planes buzzed above the city. All were preparing for the parade on May 9th, Russia’s annual of its victory in the second world war. Vladimir Putin has his barbaric war against Ukraine as a continuation of the Soviet war against Nazi Germany. The Victory Day parade had been billed as a crucial moment in the war, a military showcase which Mr Putin could use as a substitute for success on the battlefield—or, alternatively, as a moment to declare he is mobilising the nation’s reservists to redouble the war effort. In the event, he made no big announcements.