@jrmichaluk

@jrmichaluk

As much as Russia is the country of Tolstoy and Rachmaninov, it is also the country of Stalin and the Lubyanka prison a nation built as much on beauty as it is on the blood of its people.Russians cherish their cultural history just as strongly as people cherish ours in Britain.And yet historically, to be creative in Russia is to incur a significant risk, for an act of creation is also an act of freedom.

May is traditionally a month for public celebration in Russia, with massive public processions on 1 May for Labour Day and military parades on 9 May for Victory Day, a holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.Not so in 2023.Russia's biggest trade union cancelled its traditional Labour Day demonstrations because of the heightened risk of terrorist activity, while regions near the Ukrainian border called off Victory Day parades so as to not provoke the Ukrainian army.

Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature A little more from Lavrov the foreign minister also warned the European Union is becoming militarized at a record rate and aggressive in its goal of containing Russia.