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| - Russia's northwestern city of Petrozavodsk on Wednesday became the latest to drop a military parade this month celebrating victory in World War II, citing virus fears, as Moscow plans a huge commemorative event. The annual May 9 Victory Day parade in the capital was postponed this year due to the pandemic. It was the first mass event rescheduled -- for June 24 -- by President Vladimir Putin as lockdown measures eased. Moscow's military procession this year will be especially grandiose as it marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. At a rehearsal Sunday in Moscow soldiers wore facemasks and gloves. Analysts say the Kremlin hopes the parade will create a patriotic and optimistic mood a week ahead of a July 1 national vote on reforms Putin needs to stay on as president beyond 2024. But so far, some 16 cities and six regions have cancelled or postponed local celebrations, showing widespread unease at holding public events during the pandemic despite safety assurances from Moscow. The cities and regions span Russia, from the Urals to Siberia and the Pacific coast. Russia passed the peak of its virus crisis in mid-May and on Wednesday officials reported 7,843 new infections, the lowest daily increase for more than a month. Despite a steady decrease in new infections, the country has recorded a total of 553,301 cases -- the third highest in the world after the United States and Brazil. As most regions are lifting lockdown measures, many regional leaders are nervous about a second wave of infections. Local authorities were not required to hold World War II parades on the same date as Moscow, and some have rescheduled to later dates with connections to local history. Authorities in Karelia, where Petrozavodsk is located, said in a statement that they have "powers to take independent decisions in pandemic situations, including on holding celebrations." In Russian-annexed Crimea, regional head Sergei Aksyonov on Tuesday cancelled a planned June 24 parade in the main city of Simferopol "to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections, to stop the situation getting out of control." Hours later, he announced he had changed his mind again "after lengthy consultations with the defence ministry and the public health watchdog." Decisions to drop the parades have angered some residents. In Chelyabinsk, whose regional government cancelled parades on the "recommendations of medics," one resident, businessman Vladimir Lande, addressed a post on social media to Putin to complain. "They have trampled on the memory of my grandfather who fought throughout the war," local news site Znak.com quoted Lande as saying. The defence ministry's website says that 28 cities will hold parades, including Moscow. Some of these will be held on closed streets without public access, including in the Black Sea city of Novorossiisk. am/jbr/bmm
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