On an unexpectedly subdued Victory Day, Ukrainians see cause for hope

KYIV, Ukraine — The day on which many here feared that Russia would escalate its assault on Ukraine turned out to be very different.Instead of formally declaring war, annexing occupied areas or increasing bombardments, as many had expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t even mention Ukraine by name in his speech Monday commemorating the Allied triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.On Victory Day, Putin defends war on Ukraine as fight against ‘Nazis’Victory Day — when Russians and Ukrainians alike remember the millions of Soviet soldiers who lost their lives in that fight — was observed in a more somber and subdued way both in Moscow’s Red Square and across much of Ukraine, where it was the quietest day of the war so far.Monday morning saw the least shelling in Kharkiv — Ukraine’s second-most-populous city — since the conflict began 75 days ago, according to the regional governor, Oleh Synyehubov.Ukrainian troops have been pushing back Russian battalions in Kharkiv over the past of couple weeks as Moscow redirects its invasion to focus on areas farther east.Russia’s retreat from areas around Kyiv more than a month ago, and Kharkiv more recently, has given many Ukrainians reason for hope, even as Russia consolidates control over large parts of the eastern and southern regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson. We never thought the Russians could do something like that to us.”Kharkiv is also a mostly Russian-speaking area.In a nearby town, Nikolai Manailo, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, opened a bottle of champagne for Victory Day. A native of Kharkiv, he once fought alongside Russians.“Who could’ve believed this could happen?” Manailo said quietly.