Saturday, May 9th, marked the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory over fascism, thus bringing World War II to an end. Or so it is celebrated in Russia.

While no honest student of history would ever deny Russia’s immense sacrifices and their enormous contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers, they really didn’t do it alone. Still, their pride is well deserved, and they have every right to celebrate . . . and celebrate, they did.

But the massive parade in Moscow’s Red Square was not the only party held in Russia that day. Cities and towns across the country held their own commemorations — including Nizhny Novgorod, where the Feenstra family from Canada were able to celebrate alongside their adopted countrymen.

As always, they documented the occasion with some excellent video coverage. But for this special event, dad Arend refrained from his usual running commentary, letting the proceedings speak for themselves. Thus, my notes are from my own observations.

Arend did say that they were privileged to have received tickets for the entire family to stand in a choice spot, on the side nearest the Kremlin, and to attend the concert following the parade.

Now, for those not familiar with the Russian language — which would be the vast majority of people outside of Russia — the word kremlin means citadel, or fortress. And the Moscow Kremlin, while the largest and most well-known, is far from the only one in Russia. There are about a dozen in all, including this hilltop beauty in Nizhny Novgorod:

The display here was, of course, on a much smaller scale than the one in Moscow. There were just a few tanks and trucks, no heavy armaments, no drones. But there were parades of perfectly-synchronized marching military units, and a review of the various branches of the military by local officials, one of whom was addressed as “Tovarishch Polkovnik” . . . “Comrade Colonel,” to us English speakers. I found this rather jarring, as I had thought the term “Comrade” dropped out of use with the supposed fall of Communism; but perhaps there are still exceptions.

Along the parade route, there were several Jumbotrons placed at intervals for the viewing pleasure of the crowds, which showed not only the local event, but the extravaganza taking place in Moscow as well . . . including Putin’s 10-minute speech.

Most interestingly in Moscow, as Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov rode along Red Square in an open convertible, he too addressed the assembled troops as “Comrades.” Leaving the car, he then walked to the reviewing stand to present himself to Vladimir Putin, also referring to himself as “Comrade.”

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Back in Nizhny Novgorod, when the parade ended, the crowd walked to a war memorial, where local officials placed flowers and offered a couple of brief speeches . . . accompanied by a military band playing the Russian National Anthem, and followed by a hymn from a church choir.

And I must confess, I choked up a bit at that moment. The martial strains of that anthem are intended to invoke patriotic fervor, and the familiar music drew me back more than 30 years to my time in Moscow. I could easily understand then, as now, how the mixture of a continuous appeal to patriotism and blatant propaganda could imbue an intense nationalistic fervor in a people who have never known anything different.

It is, in truth, a very powerful and dangerous combination. Lenin knew it; Stalin knew it; and Vladimir Putin knows it all too well.

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And then the big day was over, and there was just time for a brief sit-down and a family photo op before heading back to the farm . . .

. . . including, somewhere along the way, an interview with eldest daughter Cora . . . who was able to show off her newly-acquired Russian language skills.

Speaking about what “men and women did many years ago.”

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It becomes more and more obvious, as I follow this family on their journey through life in Russia, that the Feenstras are a multi-talented group. What the future holds for them, no one can know. But whatever opportunities come their way, I’m sure they’ll make the most of them.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/13/25