The Red Square parade is a propaganda event through which the Kremlin has sought to show the world that Moscow is in control and that fear belongs to others. This time around, however, the picture is different and shows that sustained pressure is working, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) writes.

Victory Day is one of the most important symbols of Vladimir Putin's regime and is meant to demonstrate strength, control, and military superiority. Today, however, we can see a parade lacking both confidence and much of its military hardware. After years of a bloody and unsuccessful war, Russia is now short even of tanks to trundle through the streets of Moscow. At the same time, front-line losses continue to mount every day.

Just a few years ago, Moscow seemed untouchable even to Russia itself. Ukrainian drones are now reaching deep into Russian territory, and strikes near the Kremlin have brought the war to that very place Putin once pledged it would never reach.

Across Russia, Victory Day events are being canceled. A war which was supposed to last three days has reached Russian cities without barrages of bombs or mass destruction. Through precision capabilities and ingenuity, Ukraine has managed to achieve what Russia has failed to accomplish in more than 1,500 days of using missiles, terror, and mass devastation. While events are being canceled in Russia on the country's most important day of the year, Kyiv is sending a unified message that Putin's threats will not force them to evacuate.

The ceasefire proposed by Russia also once again demonstrated the true worth of the Kremlin's promises. Moscow wanted a pause merely to hold its propaganda parade free of disruptions. As of Friday, Russia had already violated its own self-declared ceasefire more than 140 times along the front line. Just a few days ago, Russian forces bombed a kindergarten in Sumy.

As a result of this, Russia cannot be treated as a partner in politics, sports, or culture. On Friday, the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale was closed and will remain closed until the biennale ends in November. Estonia, together with several other countries, also signed an open letter emphasizing that cultural platforms must not be utilized to legitimize war and its perpetrators. For the Kremlin, culture has long ceased to be culture; it has become a tool for softening and normalizing aggression and war crimes.

Any state which bombs kindergartens, abducts children, and deliberately destroys another nation's culture cannot hide behind a label of "artistic freedom." Such normalization would destroy the moral credibility of international institutions.

It is clear to see that the pressure is working. The sanctions are working, Ukraine's resistance is working, and Russia's international isolation is working. The Kremlin still tries to project its strength, but in reality Russia is weaker, more nervous, and more defensive than it had been just a few years ago. Turning down the pressure now would be the biggest possible mistake; the pressure must be increased even further.

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