{"id":16336,"date":"2026-05-08T05:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/16336\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T05:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:46:10","slug":"why-the-kremlin-failed-to-scare-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/16336\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Kremlin Failed to Scare Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia\u2019s threats <\/a>\u00a0to strike Kyiv\u2019s \u201cdecision-making centers\u201d ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade failed to intimidate Ukraine. Instead, the rhetoric exposed Moscow\u2019s own anxiety regarding potential disruptions to one of the Kremlin\u2019s most symbolic annual events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kyiv remained undeterred, having already endured over four years of relentless Russian missile and drone strikes. Because homes, infrastructure, and civilians have been targeted repeatedly, the Kremlin\u2019s renewed threats carry little weight as a tool of fear.<\/p>\n

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Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The irony behind the threats <\/p>\n

More than that, the threats revealed Russia\u2019s own weakness. In the fifth year of its full-scale war, Moscow\u2019s warnings showed that the Kremlin no longer feels secure about the skies over its own capital.<\/p>\n

The language of \u201cif you hit our capital, we will hit yours\u201d suggests the opposite of confidence. It signals that Moscow is worried about its own decision-making centers and whether it can protect them.<\/p>\n

As President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out, Russia is effectively asking Kyiv for permission to hold its parade safely. That is a striking reversal. Russia launched its full-scale invasion expecting to seize Kyiv in days. Now, years later, it is asking Ukraine not to disrupt Moscow\u2019s most sacred holiday.<\/p>\n

Moscow\u2019s new reality <\/p>\n

The Kremlin\u2019s anxiety was also visible in how urgently it tried to secure a pause in fighting for the parade.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Zelensky<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Other Topics of Interest<\/p>\n

Zelensky Says Kyiv \u2018Does Not Recommend\u2019 Travel to Moscow for Victory Day<\/a><\/p>\n

President Zelensky said Russia sought safety for its May 9 parade while continuing attacks on Ukraine and threatening more strikes afterward.<\/p>\n

For Moscow to seek help from Washington in restraining Kyiv is telling. It shows that Russia understands Ukraine now has the ability to threaten targets that once seemed untouchable \u2014 including the skies over Moscow itself.<\/p>\n

That marks a new reality in the war. After more than four years of full-scale invasion, Ukraine\u2019s defense technology and long-range strike capabilities have reached a level that Moscow can no longer ignore.<\/p>\n

The balance of power is changing. Kyiv is no longer dependent on weapons provided by partners with strict political conditions. Increasingly, Ukraine has its own capabilities and makes its own decisions about when and where to strike.<\/p>\n

The symbolism is difficult to miss: a state that once claimed it would capture Ukraine\u2019s capital in three days is now seeking guarantees for the safety of its own.<\/p>\n

Calling Moscow\u2019s Bluff <\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s offer of a ceasefire starting May 6 was also a shrewd move. Unlike Moscow\u2019s short, parade-centered pause, Kyiv proposed a longer silence. Had Russia accepted it and kept the ceasefire through May 9, it would have proved that Moscow is capable of stopping fire when it chooses to.<\/p>\n

That is exactly what the Kremlin has tried to avoid admitting. Kyiv\u2019s proposal exposed that manipulation.<\/p>\n

Instead of accepting Ukraine\u2019s offer and proving it could observe silence, Moscow rejected the longer ceasefire and sought help from others to secure the skies over its own capital.<\/p>\n

Saving Moscow\u2019s image <\/p>\n

The 2026 Victory Day parade on Red Square serves as a stark visual indicator of Russia\u2019s shifting geopolitical and military landscape. For the first time in nearly two decades, the event is expected to feature no heavy military hardware<\/a>, such as tanks or missiles, highlighting the severe equipment losses and operational strain caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

While attempting to occupy foreign territory, the Kremlin has seen its influence steadily erode across regions traditionally considered within Moscow\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n

Days before the May 9 parade, Armenia hosted a European Political Community summit in Yerevan that focused on support for Ukraine. This was a significant symbolic shift; despite remaining a formal member of Russia\u2019s Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Armenia has increasingly\u00a0 distanced <\/a>itself from Moscow and recently refused to host the bloc\u2019s summits on its territory.<\/p>\n

Only days earlier, President Zelensky visited Azerbaijan, another state Moscow traditionally viewed as part of its regional sphere of influence. Reports suggest Kyiv and Baku discussed<\/a> expanded security cooperation and possibly joint defense or drone production initiatives.<\/p>\n

Allies Are Drifting Away <\/p>\n

Russia has struggled to demonstrate that it can protect even its closest partners.<\/p>\n

Moscow failed to provide decisive support to Iran during its recent confrontation with Israel and the United States. It was unable to preserve the rule of its longtime ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Nor could it reliably shield Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who was ousted from office and captured by US forces in a surprise military operation in Caracas.<\/p>\n

The May 9 parade serves a dual purpose. Beyond projecting the image of a resilient global power despite sanctions and military setbacks, the spectacle functions primarily as domestic theater \u2013 a choreographed effort to convince Russians that the Kremlin remains strong and firmly in command.<\/p>\n

As Moscow holds its parade, at the current pace of the war, 30,000 to 35,000 Russian soldiers could be killed or wounded this month alone \u2013 sacrificed not in defense of their borders, but in an aggression against Ukraine. The Kremlin may prove as incapable of protecting these lives as it is of securing the skies over Moscow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s threats \u00a0to strike Kyiv\u2019s \u201cdecision-making centers\u201d ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade failed to intimidate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16337,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[26],"class_list":{"0":"post-16336","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moscow","8":"tag-moscow"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}