Tensions and anxiety are rising across Russia and especially in Moscow ahead of Victory Day events on Saturday, May 9, marking 81 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Pressure is visible across the country following expanding Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory, including Siberia, targeting infrastructure such as energy facilities and military installations.
These attacks are making civilians living thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border feel the war directly, including through widespread internet restrictions. In some cases, this has fueled frustration and despair over the central government in Moscow and over President Vladimir Putin himself.
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Russian President Putin at a meeting in the Kremlin
(Photo: Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
In an unusual move, Russian authorities canceled traditional Victory Day parades in 15 regions, many near or close to the border with Ukraine but not only there. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, for the first time in years, the parades will take place without heavy military equipment such as missiles and tanks. The steps reflect genuine concern over Ukrainian missile or drone strikes, which if successful would constitute a painful public humiliation for Russia, for which May 9 is one of the most important holidays in its calendar.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called on Thursday evening representatives of foreign embassies and international organizations in Kyiv to evacuate, citing the possibility of a Russian strike on “central Kyiv” if Ukraine attacks Moscow during Victory Day events. The statement also reflects mounting pressure in Moscow ahead of Saturday.
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Security in Moscow, Russia, ahead of Victory Day events on May 9
(Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
Russia has declared a unilateral two-day ceasefire ahead of the celebrations, expected to take effect overnight between Thursday and Friday. Ukraine has not committed to it, while an earlier Ukrainian ceasefire announcement, intended to begin overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, was not observed by Moscow, which continued launching deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities.
This comes alongside reports that the Russian establishment has significantly increased security around Putin due to fears of a coup attempt. CNN reported that Putin is spending more time in secure bunkers and that his meetings are being tightly controlled, amid a dramatic improvement in Ukraine’s offensive capabilities, including long-range drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
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SU-25 jets fly over Moscow Russia in preparation for Victory Day events on May 9
(Photo: REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov)
The prolonged war, with no end in sight, along with declining public support for the Russian president following a series of unpopular economic measures, has contributed to the tightening of his security, which is already extremely strict under normal circumstances.
While Russia awaits Victory Day in a state of heightened alert, a new investigation reveals another dimension of its confrontation with the West. A major international journalistic probe, involving leading outlets including Le Monde, The Guardian and Der Spiegel, found that in the heart of Moscow inside the prestigious Bauman research university operates a secret unit linked to Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU).
The investigation exposed the existence of “Department No. 4”, a covert division training the next generation of cyberwarfare operatives and spies for Russian military intelligence.
Based on thousands of leaked documents, the investigation paints a picture of a “digital terror incubator”. While regular students study engineering, those in the department specialize in developing viruses, penetrating Pentagon networks and producing propaganda and manipulation videos. The path from a secret university classroom to elite GRU units, responsible among other things for disabling Western power grids through cyberattacks, is described as direct and rapid.
Ironically, the investigation also found that even within the secret department itself, faith in the government and President Putin is relatively low. Lieutenant Colonel Kirill Stupakov, who lectures students on the importance of the war in Ukraine, was caught in private messages openly mocking Putin and Russia’s military leadership. This did not prevent him from publicly praising both the war in Ukraine and Putin in front of students and intelligence cadets.
Putin’s reach, however, extends far beyond the digital realm and includes tangible physical threats. An extensive ABC News report, based on Western intelligence sources, found that since the expansion of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has significantly accelerated its targeted assassination campaign in Europe.
According to the report, targets are no longer limited to military “traitors” but now include human rights activists, regime opponents and supporters of Ukraine.
The report says Russia has adopted a new and dangerous model: instead of deploying trained intelligence officers, it recruits low-cost local criminals or mercenaries to carry out assassinations and sabotage. In France, an assassination attempt on human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin was foiled. In Lithuania, cells planning to kill pro-Ukraine figures using mail bombs were arrested, and in Germany and Poland plots were uncovered targeting defense industry officials and even President Volodymyr Zelensky.