Russia is marking the 80th anniversary of Victory Day as a few dozen leaders fly in to watch and meet with Putin. Victory day has become an opportunity for Russia to try to frame the Ukraine war in the same light as the second world war.

Moscow's self-declared truce which came into force at midnight on May 8 is not being felt on the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers have told the Kyiv Independent, reporting numerous cases of Russian military activity throughout the day.

Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, is Russia’s most important secular holiday, reflecting its wartime sacrifice. But it’s also used by the Kremlin to bolster patriotism and regain the superpower prestige it lost when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.