The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a formal call for all diplomatic missions and international organizations in Kyiv to evacuate their staff, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. This move follows a series of threats from the Russian Defense Ministry, which on May 4 warned of potential strikes against Ukraine, citing alleged threats from Kyiv to target Moscow during Victory Day celebrations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that while Ukraine had proposed a genuine «silence regime» to allow for diplomatic efforts, Russia chose to ignore the initiative and continued its military campaign. Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia’s refusal to halt aggression leaves Ukraine no choice but to respond in kind. He noted that the Russian leadership’s obsession with the May 9 parade demonstrates the absurdity of their position, especially as the presence of even a modified, vehicle-less parade in Moscow is now influenced by the vulnerability caused by Ukrainian technological advancements.
Meanwhile, international fatigue with Russian state propaganda is manifesting in concrete policy changes. Berlin authorities have enacted strict regulations for May 8-9, prohibiting the display of Russian and Soviet military symbols near war memorials. Local police have banned Z and V symbols, St. George ribbons, and military uniforms, classifying them as inflammatory tools that glorify Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Authorities emphasized that these symbols, regardless of their historical context, have been co-opted by the Kremlin to justify the current invasion, posing a specific intimidation risk to the large community of Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
These prohibitions, which have been refined since 2022, aim to prevent the exploitation of historical memory for modern warmongering. As Europe moves to isolate Russian symbols of aggression, Moscow remains trapped in its own manufactured crisis. While the Kremlin attempts to maintain a façade of military strength, the reality of the situation—highlighted by the absence of heavy equipment at the Moscow parade—suggests a regime increasingly fearful of the consequences of its own actions. By decoupling historical commemoration from the support of current hostilities, Berlin and other international partners are ensuring that the propaganda machine behind the war in Ukraine faces no safe harbor in their public spaces.