Democracy Dies in DarknessEuropeThe Russian president is facing pressure not only from a stalemate on the battlefield but also from a battered economy that is fueling discontent.May 14, 2026 at 7:32 a.m. EDT36 minutes agoRussian service members march in the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, during celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. (Pavel Bednyakov/AP)A lone police officer with a megaphone shouted at a confused crowd in central Moscow to disperse — the traditional Victory Day fireworks last weekend having been canceled without warning. It was a fitting wind-down to the most muted celebration Russia had witnessed in decades. No military hardware rolled across Red Square. Few foreign guests attended. Across the Russian capital, the internet was blacked out, a move driven by fear that Ukraine could disrupt the World War II commemoration with its expanding reach of long-range drone attacks.
Putin remark on war ‘coming to a close’ points to exhaustion, not peace, analysts say
The Russian president is facing pressure not only from a stalemate on the battlefield but also from a battered economy that is fueling discontent.
155 words~1 min read
