V-E Day

Okay- I admit to getting pretty excited, thinking about the parade today. I figured there would be veterans, tanks, and plenty of goose-stepping to keep me entertained. Maybe some martial music to boot. What we got was something very different indeed.

We arrived at ye ole Ploshad Svobody (Freedom Square) to crowds wearing orange and black ribbons, red and green flags, and a central bandstand decorated with Soviet stars and hammers and sickles. People had flowers to give old men, wearing uniforms and metals that had been dusted off for the ocassion. My thoughts immediately ran to Jack; I wondered what he would've thought of it all.

Crowd and Couple wearing black and orange ribbon.

WWII Veteran

Spot on at 10am (or, as close as you can get in Ukraine), the show began. Freedom Square became a parade ground. They began by playing the ITAR-TASS radio announcement from May 9, 1945, declaring the war over.

Bandstand and Soldiers

...then came the dancers. I was disappointed that no full-on "glopak" was performed, but there were some leaps and plenty of heel-to-toe balancing. Jason asked how I would've fared dancing in heels on the cobbles.

...then came the parade of Soviet era uniforms and vehicles.

Infantry wearing WWII uniforms carrying red flags...I kept thinking they must be hot

Various WWII vehicles

...Then the generals riding jeeps up and down the parade grounds, stopping by each regiment present and wishing them "S Praznikom" (Happy Holiday). They would respond in unison with various "oorahs!" and "Slava" (glory). 

Generals with jeeps and microphones

...Then a bunch of officials came out and spoke (in Russian) about the importance of the day and ended with a half-hearted "Slava Ukraina!" (Glory to Ukraine!).

...Then they national anthem was played. This was curious indeed. People did not stand with silent reverence or sing the words along with the troops. They stood around and talked- to each other, on their phones- and generally ignored the proceedings. I was astounded. I saw one guy in the crowd mouthing the words. I pointed it out to Jason who said, "Well, it's new." But I couldn't help but wonder about the east-west divide severing Ukraine. How many times had people said to me that they were "essentially" Russian?

...then, the troops filed past the grand stand. They goose-stepped, but not as high or as sole-slamming as I had hoped to witness.

The show ended with a gun salute, and typical parade maneuvers involving rifles spinning and flying through the air and swords being brandished about. 

We did not stay to the end, though. We left about 15 minutes early to beat the crowd. And it was a massive crowd. 6 people thick lining Freedom Square and more on the sidewalk around it, vying for a bit of height and a better view. Lenin was completely coated with spectators. So, we skedaddled.

Crowds surrounding Lenin at the end of the square.

Before I close, I would like to remind you that Kharkov was decimated in the war. The city was flattened; it lay on the Eastern front of the European theatre. The city was also on the road to Stalingrad. So troops, both Nazi and Soviet, fought backwards and forwards over the city. Very few Jews remain. Their are major kill sites dotting the city. In one case, Drobitsky Yar, over 15,000 (yes, thousand) were shot on and left in a ravine on the edge of town. Just north of the city lies Kursk, which saw the largest tank battles the world has ever fought- twice. 

It is estimated that the Soviet Union lost 26 million in WWII, compared to the US 400 thousand. 

Festivities continue tonight with a concert and fireworks.