US troops have been invited to march in Russia’s Victory Day parade, commemorating the 65th anniversary of Nazi defeat in World War II. This marks the first time that the United States has ever been invited to participate in the event. Alongside Britain, France and Poland, the US will represent WWII’s “anti-Hitler coalition”.
Though the majority of Russians approved of the invitation, twenty percent disapproved, rallying behind the call, “No NATO boots on Red Square.” The invitation challenges Russia’s national narrative, which paints WWII as an exclusively Soviet-German conflict.
Even more interesting from a public diplomacy perspective is the acknowledgement of this tweaking of national narrative–that is, acknowledging non-Russian participation in WWII fighting–as being in favor of Russia’s national interest.
Last month, Konstantin I. Kosachev, head of Parliament’s International Affairs Committee, said that inviting foreign troops to Russia’s parade “fully corresponds to Russia’s national interests.” This, he says, is because it forces other nations to acknowledge Russia’s leading role in the conflict. Kosachev also insinuated that the move constituted a soft-power challenge to NATO, which he acknowledged as Russia’s primary military threat.
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