Russia’s international isolation was on vivid display Tuesday as just one foreign leader — the president of Moldova — joined Russian President Vladimir Putin to witness the Victory Day parade marking the 72nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Moscow Times reported that Moldovan President Igor Dodon was the only international leader to share the reviewing stand with Mr. Putin as 10,000 troops and an array of military hardware — including nuclear warheads — passed by below.
For the 60th anniversary in 2005, dozens of world leaders made the trip to Moscow to stand by the Russian president, including President George W. Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao and German Chancellor Gerhard Schoeder. As recently as two years ago, two dozen foreign leaders and heads of state attended, despite growing international criticism of Russia’s conflicts with its neighbors, Georgia and Ukraine.
Mr. Dodon was elected president of Moldova in November on a platform of better relations with his country’s giant neighbor.
Without highlighting the irony, Mr. Putin in remarks carried on state television said Russia’s military might was a force for good in the world and blamed the “monstrous tragedy” of World War II on the failure of the great powers of the time to work together.
Nazi Germany’s aggression, he said, was not prevented “first of all because the criminal ideology of racial superiority was allowed to exist, because of the disunity of the world’s leading countries.”
Adding insult to indignity, clashes were reported between nationalist and pro-Russian factions in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev at memorial services also marking the triumph in World War II. Ukrainian President Petro O. Poroshenko announced that this is the last year Ukraine will join Russia in celebrating Victory Day on May 9, and will move its observances to May 8, the day it is observed in most of Europe.
In one discordant episode widely reported on Russian state-run television, clashes broke out at memorial services in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and in at least one other Ukrainian city, between those marking the holiday and local nationalists opposed to Russia.
Speaking in Kiev, Petro O. Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, noted that this would be the last year Ukraine celebrated Victory Day in tandem with Russia. Next year, it plans to move the holiday to May 8, when it is marked in much of Europe.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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