The authorities abandoned the extensive celebrations of the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea and canceled the concert in Luzhniki

In Russia, they decided to limit the scale of the celebrations of the next anniversary of the annexation of Crimea on March 18. The presidential administration explained this decision by the inappropriate situation, writes Vedomosti.

In particular, there will be no concert in Luzhniki, similar to the one organized after the start of the war in Ukraine, said President Vladimir Putin at the event. Just targeted events: flash mobs, lectures, local performances, masterclasses, car races, etc. In a significant part of the regions, they will be held with the support of representatives of United Russia and social organizations.

For example, residents of the Magadan Region will be able to send a postcard to the peninsula free of charge as part of the “Letter from Magadan” campaign – a special zone will be organized in the local tourist information center for this purpose; and in Pskov, everyone will learn how to cook Crimean cheburki.

The cancellation of the concert in Luzhniki was also confirmed in the Mega Volonter Moscow group on VKontakte. Earlier, he announced a set of accessories for the party. People were promised performances by singers Oleg Gazmanov and SHAMAN, groups Lyube and After Tomorrow, as well as a free buffet. The audience administrators informed that the formula of the ceremony was changed for reasons beyond their control.

The group “Patriots of Russia” stated that “the FSO does not recommend the organization of the event due to the risk of terrorist attacks.” The Luzhniki hotline also reported that the concert was not planned.

Instead, in An “educational marathon” will be held in Moscow with the participation of historians, officials and deputies of the State Duma. It tells about “difficult periods of historical relations between Crimea and Russia over the centuries” and about what is happening to the peninsula today. A similar event will be held in Yalta.

For students, they prepared a lesson entitled “Let’s talk about what is important”, devoted to the partitions. Since March 18 falls on a Saturday, it will be held on Monday, March 20. Materials for teachers are published on a dedicated website. With the help of methodology, it is proposed to form students have an idea of ​​Crimea “as originally Russian territory and an understanding of the reasons and historical significance” of its annexation to Russia.

Political scientist Alexei Makarkin explains the reduction in the scale of the celebrations by changing the programme. “Now there are different emotions, and highlighting the euphoria that was in 2014 will not be very adequate when it comes to mobilizing in different areas,” he believes.

Political scientist Konstanty Kalachev agrees with him: “Now the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the Zaporozhian and Kherson regions are “on the front line” and all attention is focused on them – here they are mentioned, and travels, and parties, and it’s not worth it change accents.

A source close to the presidential administration told the newspaper that the next major holiday that will be emphasized “in terms of promoting the heroism of the past and present” will be Victory Day on May 9.