It's not just about debate in the US about removing Confederate statues, or in the UK over monuments to imperialists -- the war over World War II is back in play, too. The Kremlin rescheduled the parade, after World War II veterans raised concerns about the health risks of holding an event that would draw massive crowds in Moscow and other cities. Cynics might say that surviving veterans of World War II -- who hold a position of great veneration in Russian society -- provided convenient cover to the Kremlin. But Putin's essay elevates the Soviet war in Europe to something higher: A crusade to save the world. And in doing so, he suggests that the darker wartime chapters are above criticism -- and by extension, so is Putin's Russia today.

Source: CNN June 18, 2020 22:41 UTC