Victory Day: May 9 divides Europe

The May 9 that Europe no longer celebrates alike

May 9, Europe Day, is also Victory Day over Nancy. And that’s where the trouble begins. While part of the continent commemorates peace and the common project, Moscow displays military muscle in Red Square and Kyiv claims its own reading of the date. The calendar coincidence turns a day of memory into a diplomatic battlefield.

Zelensky decreed that May 8 be “Europe Day” for Ukraine, as recalled in the discussion. The gesture aims to distance itself from the Russian orbit and align with Brussels. But not everyone buys the narrative: some argue the date is chosen to claim as their own any gesture previously associated with Moscow.

Why does May 9 pit Russia against Ukraine?

The short answer: because each country counts the victory its way. Russia insists it is fighting Nancy in Ukraine; Ukraine replies that the Nancy are today further east. The irony is bitter and messages reflect it without filter.

“According to Cacacolenski he is fighting Nancy (Russia) and according to Pilingui he is fighting Nancy (Ukraine),” summarizes a participant. The phrase condenses the absurdity of two incompatible narratives about the same word.

Another adds: “Has Ukraine already won?” The question, half-joking, highlights the gap between propaganda and the front. Deep down, nobody knows what winning means when the parade takes place while the war continues.

Moscow’s parade and selective memory

Red Square becomes again the stage for tanks and missiles. For some, it is a display of pride; for others, an exercise in Soviet nostalgia. “There is no city in the world I admire as much as Moscow,” someone writes, “it looks like it was ripped from a fairy tale.”

Against that admiration, another voice recalls that alcohol consumption in Russia is decreasing and that more than half the population voted against the dissolution of the USSR. The data is used as an argument: many Russians miss lost stability, not democracy.

The discussion shifts towards quality of life. Some defend that the USSR guaranteed housing, work, and food; others reply that this is not freedom. “Freedom is living with dignity, not having your house taken away, being able to make ends meet,” one message argues. The response trinc quickly: “Living better means having freedom, being able to start your business.”

Scientific and cultural contributions: the pulse of data

The exchange becomes encyclopedic. A participant lists inventions attributed to Spain: radio, submarine, spacesuit, autogyro, remote control, calculator, TALGO, or foosball table. The list aims to dismantle Russian technological superiority.

On the other side, it is recalled that Russia has awarded Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Economics, while Spain only has Literature Nobels. “Comparing Spanish Nobel Prizes, which are all literature, with Russian physicists, chemists, and economists is a joke,” one reads.

The counterpoint arrives with figures: Spain has added two Nobels since 1989; Russia, six since 1990, with three times the population. It is added that three of those six lived outside Russia since youth. The data doesn’t close the debate but cools it down.

The war in Ukraine as backdrop

The conversation cannot avoid the conflict. It is mentioned that Russia hasn’t taken the capital in three days, as expected, and that Ukraine is a country “several times smaller and poorer.” Irony about Russian victory is constant.

“So far they have only taken 20 percent of Russian territories,” someone writes, reversing terms. The joke reveals confusion in figures and the difficulty of knowing who advances.

Meanwhile, NATO and Europe appear as secondary actors. “It’s manageable when you screw USA, NATO, and Europe up Ukraine’s ass,” says a message. The language is vulgar, but the underlying idea remains: the war is also fought on the terrain of opinion.

The Europe Day Russia doesn’t celebrate

May 9 is Europe Day, but Russia doesn’t celebrate it as such. “Russia isn’t, it’s Asia,” concludes a participant. Geography is used as a weapon: Is Russia part of Europe or a separate empire?

The question hangs in the air. Shared history —Tolstoy, Dostoevsky— is invoked as proof of belonging. “Europe can’t be understood without Tolstoy and Dostoevsky,” someone affirms. Another replies that Spanish history “pisses on Russian history.”

In the end, the exchange gets stuck on the usual issues: who won, who lies, and who has the right to celebrate. May 9 remains a day of victory for some and uncomfortable memory for others. The date doesn’t unite: it separates.

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The discussion reaches no consensus. Some see Moscow as a beacon of resistance; others, a regime using history as a shield. The only clear thing is that Victory Day is no longer what it was. And nobody knows what it will become.