Russian cities are not taking any chances ahead of their big Victory Day celebrations, banning items like drones and jet skis over security fears.

Tuesday marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, an event that is usually commemorated by large-scale events across the country.

But at least 21 cities have cancelled their military parades for the first time in years, Russian media said.

Local authorities were vague in their reasons for taken such action, simply blaming ‘security concerns’ or ‘the current situation’ without being any more specific.

The banning of drones could be a response to the extraordinary alleged attack on the Kremlin earlier this month, which Russia described as an attempted assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin.

Unverified footage circulating on social media showed two flying objects thought to be drones approaching the leader’s official residence, and one exploding with a bright flash.

After initially blaming Ukraine for the incident, on Thursday Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US was responsible – but gave no evidence to support his claim.

Parades will go ahead in Moscow and St Petersburg, though drones are banned in both.

In the capital, car-sharing services have been banned from starting or ending their journeys in the city centre as preparations for the traditional display in Red Square go ahead.

In St Petersburg, sometimes romantically described as the ‘Venice of the North’ due to its network of rivers and canals, people have been prohibited from using jet skis in certain parts of the city until May 10.

Last year, Putin was not joined by any foreign leaders for the parade amid broad diplomatic isolation for Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine the previous February.

However, the leaders of countries including Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are expected to attend tomorrow’s event.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Russia’s actions in his country to those of the Nazis in a statement released through Telegram.

He said: ‘Unfortunately, evil has returned.

‘Just as evil rushed to our cities and villages then, it is doing so now. (Evil) killed our people then, so it does now.

‘Although now the aggressor is different, the goal is the same – enslavement or destruction.’

Ursula Von Der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, is expected to join him in Kyiv for Ukraine’s May 9 celebrations, which have been named Europe Day as the country distances itself further from Moscow.

Zelensky said on Monday that he had sent a draft bill to parliament proposing a Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War held one day earlier than Russia’s, on May 8.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article