Authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea canceled commemorative military events next month in part because of the Kremlin's sensitivity over high Russian troop losses in Ukraine, according to British defense officials.

On May 9, events are held around cities in Russia to mark the Soviet Union's role in the victory over Nazi Germany during World War II in what is known in the country as the Great Patriotic War. The biggest event takes place in Moscow with a march-past of troops in Red Square and a display of Russian military hardware.

However, authorities in Russian regions close to the border with Ukraine, such as Kursk and Belgorod, have scrapped their events this year for security reasons. Since the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, unexplained blasts have hit military facilities in the Russian oblasts bordering Ukraine.A woman carries a flag bearing a letter "Z," a symbol of support for the invasion of Ukraine, after the Victory Day Parade in Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2022. Crimea, which is occupied by Russia, will not hold a Victory Day parade this year, in part because of the Kremlin's sensitivity over high Russian troop losses in Ukraine, British defense officials have said.GETTY IMAGES 

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Crimea, which was seized by Russia in 2014, has followed suit with its cancellation of commemorative military events. The Russian-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Telegram that there would no parades in Crimea and its city of Sevastopol either on May 1 or May 9, "due to security reasons." although veterans will be congratulated by local officials.

But British defense officials said the decision was also linked to the Kremlin's concerns about the public's attitude to high Russian casualty figures in Ukraine and that the parades present "a sensitive communications challenge for the Kremlin."

"Putin couches the 'special military operation' in the spirit of the Soviet experience in World War Two," the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said. This "risks sitting increasingly uneasily with the many Russians who have immediate insights into the mismanaged and failing campaign in Ukraine."

"Honoring the fallen of previous generations could easily blur into exposing the scope of the recent losses, which the Kremlin attempts to cover up," added the update on Thursday, which emphasizes Russian losses and Ukrainian gains.

The Ukrainian armed forces have carried out attacks on targets in Crimea, harassing the Russian Black Sea fleet and disrupting vital Russian supply lines.

Tamila Tasheva, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's top representative for Crimea, said this week that thousands of Russians are fleeing Crimea amid concern it may be a target for an expected spring counteroffensive by Ukraine.