Three Russian regions cancel June 24th Victory Day parades due to coronavirus pandemic

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the regional authorities in the Perm Krai, as well as in the Belgorod and Oryol regions, have decided not to hold parades on June 24 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.

Due to the “unfortunate epidemiological situation,” Belgorod will be postponing its Victory Day celebrations until July 12, reported Russia’s public health authority, Rospotrebnadzor. 

Meanwhile, the Oryol region will not be holding a parade because of the “great risk of coronavirus infection,” explained regional governor Andrey Klychkov. All events linked to the 75th anniversary celebrations in the Oryol region are now scheduled August 5. 

Perm Krai Governor Dmitry Makhonin said that all mass events are banned on June 24, in order “to take care of the health and lives” of the region’s residents. Perm’s Victory Day parade will be held later this year, possibly on September 3.

According to official data, the scale of the coronavirus outbreaks in the Belgorod and Oryol regions rank 35th and 36th place, respectively, among Russia’s regions. The Perm Krai is 52nd place. All of these regions have seen more than 2,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

That said, regions with much larger coronavirus outbreaks are going forward with Victory Day celebrations on June 24, including the Sverdlovsk region (currently in fifth place), the Rostov region (sixth place), the Tula region (ninth place), the Bryansk region (twelfth place), and the Volgograd region (fifteenth place).

At the end of May, the Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Ground Forces, Oleg Salyukov, announced that 28 Russian cities are planning on holding Victory Day parades on June 24. These events are expected to draw a total of 177,000 participants.