Remember those bombastic military spectacles the Soviets used to hold on Red Square several times a year to strike fear into every bourgeois heart? Well, they’re back, and they’re bigger and better than ever. As the below article (in our exclusive translation) shows, the Kremlin is pulling out all the stops for the May 9 parade to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the Day of Victory of the Soviet People in the Great Patriotic War of the Years 1941-1945. The parade will feature the premiere of trendy new Russian army uniforms – approved by Vladimir Putin himself. To make sure the whole event goes off without a hitch, an entire full-scale replica of Red Square has been erected on a military base outside town – by decision of Vladimir Putin himself. And in order for all the big military hardware to pass unhindered, all overhead electric wires will be dismantled in the center of Moscow, disrupting public transport and leaving downtown residents and businesses without electricity for several days. This sounds more like North Korea than a civilized European country! Translated from RBC:

Electric power lines to be taken down in center of Moscow for 9 May parade For the passing of the military hardware that will participate in the parade on 9 May on Red square, streetcar lines, trolleybus communications and lines of electric power transmission will be taken down in the center of Moscow. As head of the Main administration for combat training of the Ministry of defence of Russia lieutenant-general Vladimir Shamanov reports, the corresponding understanding has already been attained with the government of Moscow.