A fireworks display illuminates the night sky over St. Petersburg on Saturday (May 9) to mark the anniversary of victory over the Nazi regime.

The spending on fireworks in St. Petersburg and the Russian capital Moscow took place despite statements by the government that cash would not be handed out to Russians who lost their incomes or businesses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The mayor of Moscow had reportedly urged Muscovites to stay at home during the fireworks display.

“The fireworks will go ahead and cost millions, and then (the authorities) will tell us that it’s not okay to hand out cash to people but it’s okay to spend money on the fireworks that no one is going to see,” the UK's Daily Telegraph reported popular blogger Alexander Gorbunov as saying in a tweet.