Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, is Russia’s most important secular holiday, reflecting its wartime sacrifice. But it's also used by the Kremlin to bolster patriotism and regain the superpower prestige it lost when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

More than a dozen airports are closed after a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes.

The attacks came a day before a Russian-proposed cease-fire was to take effect and as Moscow prepared to welcome foreign dignitaries for a parade.