The Kremlin said Friday that it did not know whether there would be a parade in Mariupol on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory in World War II, but that the time for celebrating Victory Day would come.
Russian forces say they have captured Mariupol despite ongoing resistance from Ukrainian forces in the city's Azovstal steel plant.
"The time will come to mark Victory Day in Mariupol," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing on Friday, when asked about plans for May 9 in territory recently seized by Russian-backed forces.
The British military also said Friday that the renewed effort by Russia to secure Azovstal and complete the capture of Mariupol is likely linked to the upcoming May 9 Victory Day commemorations and Russian President Vladimir Putin's "desire to have a symbolic success in Ukraine.”
"This effort has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia. Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbass,” it added.
The Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol has been the scene of weeks of fighting. It has a vast network of underground bomb shelters shielding fighters and civilians from Russian bombardment, though the site has been repeatedly struck by high-explosive bombs.
Victory Day marks the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
