Belarus Holds WWII Parade In Defiance Of COVID-19

Thousands of people came out on May 9 to watch soldiers, military vehicles, and aircraft on display in central Minsk as part of celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany 75 years ago. The televised event took place despite concerns about the coronavirus. While most other former Soviet republics, including Russia, canceled their Victory Day parades due to spiking infection and death rates, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has downplayed the pandemic as a "psychosis." In a speech during the event, he said the country “had no other choice” but to go ahead with the celebrations as thousands of war victims were watching, adding that none of today’s hardships can compare to the horrors the country endured during the war.