President Vladimir Putin takes Russian anniversaries seriously. It was no coincidence that his invasion of Ukraine came a day after Defender of the Fatherland Day, a celebration of Russia’s military achievements. It was on that same occasion in 2014 that Putin took the first step in annexing Crimea from Ukraine, through orchestrated pro-Russian protests on the peninsula.

(SOURCE) https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/08/europe/victory-day-russia-ukraine-war-analysis-cmd-intl/index.html