Russia cancels Victory Day celebrations in Crimea over 'safety concerns' amid Ukraine drone strikes

Prefer on Google by Yuliia Taradiuk, The Kyiv Independent news desk A video published by Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of the illegal Russian occupation government of Sevastopol, shows the "Victory Day preparations" in Russian-occupied Crimea on May 6, 2026. (Mikhail Razvozhaev / Telegram) Amid intensified Ukrainian drone strikes, Russian proxy authorities in occupied Crimea have canceled Victory Day celebrations due to "safety concerns," Crimea's head of Russian occupation authorities, Sergey Aksyonov, reported on May 5. Aksyonov said that this year in Crimea , there will be no military parade or other major events, including the regular Immortal Regiment march. "This decision by the authorities is based on security considerations," Aksyonov wrote in a Telegram post, without mentioning Ukraine or drones. "At the same time, we will do everything necessary and possible to pay tribute to our dear veterans, honor the memory of the fallen, and hold celebratory events in various formats. Crimea will mark our main holiday with dignity," Aksyonov added. Meanwhile, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of the illegal Russian occupation government of Sevastopol, said on May 6 that city services are "actively" cleaning monuments to Soviet heroes, tending flower beds, planting flowers, and decorating streets with festive displays. Every year on May 9, Russia stages large-scale military parades in Moscow and other cities in Russia and occupied Ukraine to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe. The celebrations emphasize the Soviet Union's role in the victory, and the Kremlin uses the event to showcase its military might and reinforce official propaganda narratives around the war in Ukraine. But projecting military might will be particularly tricky for the Kremlin this year — it will not feature traditional column of military vehicles "due to the current operational situation," Russia's Defense Ministry said April 28. Ukraine has ramped up its strikes on Russian military facilities and infrastructure supporting the Russian army in recent weeks, both in occupied territories and inside Russia. According to Razvozhaev, air raids were issued several times this week and in previous weeks in Crimea because of the threat posed by Ukrainian drones. Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) released a video on May 5 showing the targets within occupied Ukraine that were struck by its special operations unit "Ghosts." The targets included a Be-12 Chaika aircraft, three Project 05060 boats, a support vessel, and a hangar for storing Project 05060 assault boats. "Specialists from the 'Ghosts' unit... continue to implement a systematic approach to neutralizing Russian military facilities in the temporarily occupied Crimea," HUR wrote. 0:00 / 1× A video released by Ukraine's military intelligence agency on May 5, 2026, showing the attacks on targets inside Russian-occupied Crimea. (HUR / Telegram) Victory Day ceasefire Elsewhere, Ukraine sees no reason to observe a ceasefire proposed by Russia for its Victory Day celebrations, a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent on May 6. "We just don't see the point (to follow it) for the parade," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly, said. The comment came after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had violated a Ukrainian-proposed ceasefire 1,820 times by 10 a.m. local time, hours after it took effect. Zelensky said on May 4 that Ukraine would implement a ceasefire starting May 6, after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a separate "Victory Day ceasefire" on May 8–9. Moscow earlier scaled back its planned Victory Day parade, an annual showcase of its projected military strength, amid fears of potential Ukrainian attacks. Ceasefires throughout the war, often proposed by Moscow during religious holidays, have never held. Russia violated the previous truce during Orthodox Easter 10,721 times over a 32-hour period in April, Ukraine's General Staff said .