Ukrainian officials have reacted to what appears to be a lacklustre Victory Day observance in occupied Mariupol.

There was no procession, according to an adviser to Mariupol Mayor Petro Andriushchenko.

But, flowers were left at a memorial recently restored by Russian-backed separatists.

Denis Pushilin, the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), ignited the eternal flame in Mariupol to commemorate Victory Day.

The Mariupol city council said, “The occupiers celebrate Victory Day on the bones of Mariupol residents. Hundreds of citizens killed by the Russian army continue to be taken to the mass grave near the village of Vynohradne.”

Andriushchenko said, “To celebrate May 9, the occupiers lit an eternal fire on the Savur Mohyla from a torch from the eternal fire in Moscow. The grotesque combination of the traditions of the Olympics and the Ascension of the Blessed Fire at Easter is the best demonstration of the essence of Victory Day for Russians.”