Governor Roman Starovoit said that the May 9 parade will not be held in Kursk due to safety concerns. According to him, the decision is linked to the location of the regional headquarters, which aims to strengthen counter-terrorism measures.
“In line with this decision, we have decided not to hold a military parade on 9 May. As for the Immortal Regiment campaign, we will additionally inform you a little later in what format and where it will take place, ”Starovoit said.
Last week, it was decided to cancel the parade in the Belgorod region. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov explained this with his reluctance to “provoke the enemy.”
“The parade will not be held in order not to provoke the enemy, who has a large accumulation of equipment and military personnel in the center of Belgorod,” the head of the district said.
According to him, the regional operational headquarters has not yet thought about the issue of organizing the “Immortal Regiment”, a salute in honor of May 9, and the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the battle of Prokhorovka.
“The main thing is the safety of the inhabitants of the Belgorod region, no one will take risks. We will take decisions according to the operational situation,” he said.
Parade to be held in Moscow
Commenting on the attitude of the Kursk and Belgorod authorities, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that the decisions on the events to be held in honor of May 9 in the regions will be made by the governors.
“This is the prerogative of the regional presidents. Naturally, they make appropriate decisions in the interests of ensuring the safety of citizens. This is the main and only priority,” he said.
At the same time, the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow is “prepared and planned to be held,” according to a Kremlin spokesperson.
“Of course, strengthened measures are being taken and will be taken to ensure security,” Peskov said earlier.
At the same time, he stressed that “there are no changes in the parade plans”.
According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, 10,000 people and 125 pieces of weapons and military equipment will participate in the parade on Red Square. The Minister emphasized that in 2023, military parades will be held in 28 cities of Russia. They will contain about 1,200 weapons and military equipment and more than 55,000 people.
The situation in the border areas
The territory of the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, on the border with Ukraine, is regularly bombed. In particular, on April 1, a drone hit the roof of a house of culture in the village of Dronovka, Kursk Region, and on April 2, in the Sudzhansky district in the village of Nikolaevo-Daryino, seven people were injured during the mortar attack. On April 5, several villages in the Kursk region were left without electricity after the bombardment.
An indefinitely high (yellow) threat of terrorism operates in the region. From October 19, 2022, the Kursk authorities also announced a moderate intervention: the region strengthened access control and security of infrastructure and educational facilities, an inspection is carried out at railway and bus stations, and city buses are removed. Equipped with alarm buttons.
In 2022, the Victory Parade was held in Kursk, and festive events and fireworks were also held in the city. In Belgorod, on the contrary, the Victory Parade was canceled, only a festive fireworks display and Immortal Regiment procession were held in the city.