Society

Daily hardship near Moscow overshadows WWII celebrations

As Moscow celebrates the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany with a grandiose military parade, residents of Ivanteyevka remind politicians how Russians outside the capital are struggling.

For Tamara and her neighbors living in Tsarist-era wooden shacks in the center of Ivanteyevka, the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany -- celebrated with great pomp and ceremony by the Russian authorities -- is a holiday with a bitter taste. 'We are a great, wealthy nation -- so why do we live in such conditions and get such a pension?' she says. [Stringer/AFPTV/AFP]

By AFP |

IVANTEYEVKA, Russia -- Tamara pointed to her dilapidated wooden house in a town outside Moscow and lamented the economic hardships of daily life in small-town Russia.

"Our fathers fought hard, and we are left to live in these shacks," she told AFP in Ivanteyevka, a town of about 80,000 inhabitants about 30km from central Moscow.

As Moscow geared up to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany with a grandiose military parade in front of some 25 foreign leaders, Tamara said she wanted politicians to remember how Russians like her are struggling.

"Our authorities have no shame," said the 65-year old, declining to give her surname.

People visit the All-Russia Exhibition Center (VDNKh), a trade show and amusement park, decorated for celebrations of Victory Day. [Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP]
People visit the All-Russia Exhibition Center (VDNKh), a trade show and amusement park, decorated for celebrations of Victory Day. [Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP]
Local resident Tamara, a 65-year-old retiree who worked in a now-closed fabric factory, stands at the shared kitchen of a two-story wooden communal apartment building she lives in, in the center of Ivanteyevka, Russia, on May 7. [AFP]
Local resident Tamara, a 65-year-old retiree who worked in a now-closed fabric factory, stands at the shared kitchen of a two-story wooden communal apartment building she lives in, in the center of Ivanteyevka, Russia, on May 7. [AFP]
A boy walks past two-story wooden communal apartment buildings, which were built for workers in 1906 during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, in the center of the town of Ivanteyevka on May 7. [AFP]
A boy walks past two-story wooden communal apartment buildings, which were built for workers in 1906 during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, in the center of the town of Ivanteyevka on May 7. [AFP]

"They tell us it's tough for them to see us living here. Well, try living here instead of us."

Her anger is not directed at the Kremlin, less than an hour's drive away, or at President Vladimir Putin, but rather at the local administration.

They had "promised to tear down our shacks and relocate us," she said.

Her crumbling wooden dormitory was built for workers in 1906, during the reign of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II.

It stands in the center of the town, next to a few others but surrounded by more modern apartment blocks.

She occupies a 12 sq.-meter bedroom in the 29-room dormitory.

Residents share a single kitchen and bathroom. Orthodox icons hang on the walls, as does a picture of Putin on a horse.

Tamara, who used to work in a now-shut textile factory, spends a quarter of her $240-a-month pension on utilities.

"Perhaps our country has enough money for our retirees to receive a decent pension, not the miserable one we get," she said.

"We are a great and rich country."

Russia's economy has grown since it launched its military offensive on Ukraine, buoyed by high government spending on soldiers and weapons.

But inflation has soared and for those like Tamara who are not benefitting from the boom in state spending, higher prices mean a struggle to find enough money to cover basic necessities.

'Waiting for victory'

Despite her own difficulties, Tamara said the grandiose May 9 celebrations in Moscow were worth it.

As was true for many of her generation, her father fought in World War II (WWII) and the public holiday is important to her.

However, in Ivanteyevka, Russia's offensive on Ukraine was still casting a shadow.

Victory Day "is a good celebration," said Nina Murashova, a 67-year-old businesswoman.

"But I have a heavy heart because of what is happening these days," she added.

"I'm worried for our guys who are dying," she said.

Putin ordered Russia's troops into Ukraine in February 2022 -- a campaign that has since killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean peninsula it annexed in 2014.

Putin has used the Soviet Union's victory in WWII as one of the rallying cries for the campaign.

He said that the offensive was launched to "de-Nazify" Ukraine -- a claim Kyiv has called "incomprehensible."

Inside Russia, criticism of the army has been outlawed, with dissenters arrested or forced into exile.

Drone attacks

Murashova said she is kept up at night by worries that her grandson, who has just completed his compulsory 12-month military service, could be sent to fight in Ukraine.

She told AFP about how painful it was to see soldiers returning from Ukraine "without legs, without arms."

Elena Maximkina, a 56-year-old security guard, was walking with her granddaughter, donning a Soviet-era military cap that is popular around Victory Day.

"I see the war only on TV and on my mobile phone. But I don't really feel it here," she said, before pausing: "Though it is true that drones are flying overhead."

The Kremlin has tried to shield Russians from the fallout of its offensive.

But in the run-up to the parade, Ukraine fired dozens of drones at Russia in an apparent bid to disrupt the arrival of foreign leaders.

Little damage was recorded, but it caused travel chaos across the country, disrupting more than 350 flights.

Despite the patriotic fervor whipped up by Putin around Victory Day, some still question the offensive on Ukraine.

"What's the point of this war?" asked Nadezhda, a 76-year-old born amid the post-WWII devastation.

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