It was clear that the Russian President would not let the Gagarin anniversary go to waste, even if it wasn't a "round one".
The triumphs of the past, from defeating Hitler's Germany to the Sputnik shock, outlasted the fall of the Soviet Union.
They also play a central role in Putin's propaganda.
Hasn't the first manned flight into space shown that Russia is capable of outperforming the West even under the most difficult circumstances?
Putin has little more to offer the Russians than a repeated rehash of heroic stories that are now decades old.
The Western sanctions are already hitting the Russian economy, and thus the state, hard.
He has no other option (anymore)
From Putin's statements one can read the expectation that economic relations in Ukraine would return to normal after the war.
If the Russian president really believes that, it would be another miscalculation.
As long as Putin rules in the Kremlin, the West cannot return to “business as usual” in relation to Russia, either politically or economically.
Of course, Putin will do everything to stay in power for life.
He has no other option (anymore).
To secure his regime, he needs a “victory” in Ukraine that will justify the sacrifices and costs on the Russian side.
The threat of a major offensive in the east could provide the Kremlin with enough material for such a heroic tale - if it didn't go the way the advance on Kyiv did.
It is therefore to be feared that Moscow will use all its military power to break down the Ukrainian resistance, even more brutally and ruthlessly than before.
Victory in the “Great Patriotic War” is celebrated in Moscow on May 9th.
Then Putin wants to be able to report to the Russian people and to history that his fight against the Nazi spawn in Ukraine was also victorious and glorious.