INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
equipment compared to last year, which experts have linked to significant losses sustained by Russia in its ongoing war in neighboring
troops in Ukraine.While the number of planes expected to take part in the Moscow flypast is slightly higher than last year, the numbers of
infantry and equipment are lower.Compared to about 191 military vehicles and about 12,000 military personnel in 2021, this year there will
Putin has repeatedly spoken out against Western countries that seem not to appreciate the Soviet contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany
events on May 9 closely for a sign of how the war will unfold in the coming months.Unlike previous years, Victory Day events will be held in
the absence of foreign leaders.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last month that no foreign leaders were invited to the Victory Day
by Moldovan President Igor Dodon and by Kazakhstan head of state Nursultan Nazarbayev the year before.One Victory Day event that will be
traditionally attended by hundreds of thousands of Russians, including Putin himself
Ukrainian officials.There are also fears in Ukraine that the May 9 celebrations in Russia could be used as an excuse for an intensification
of attacks on Ukrainian military positions.The southern port city of Odesa and surrounding region announced last week that it was imposing a
operating in Ukraine often uses World War II flags and other symbols."Everyone is expecting something to happen [on 9 May], both the enemies
of Putin and his supporters," political expert Abbas Gallyamov told the BBC on Saturday
"These expectations created a vacuum that needs to be filled
If it's not, Putin will lose politically."
