One commentator watching Russia's May 9 piece of military theater in the heart of Moscow Tuesday morning opined that in the absence of a concrete ideology in 21st-century Russia, Vladimir Putin has attempted to build a unifying theme, almost cult-like, around the legacy of the USSR's victory over Nazi Germany. His big annual parade with tanks and soldiers in perfect formation is the set piece promotion of this glorious past. But the past is the past.

The Soviet Union had communism as a battle cry once upon a time. The West rallies around the theme of democracy. The question has been asked, "What does Russia offer these days? Nationalism?"

Over the years, diehard patriots have cherished the gleaming May 9 military parades staged around the country, with all of Russia’s military hardware on display, while the indifferent didn't seem to pay much attention. But that changed after Russia attacked Ukraine and one award-winning Russian artist felt compelled last year to rain on (or literally cloud over) Putin's parade.

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"When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, I realized that all my activities as an artist would be related to war. And I started to think about what I could do as an artist. And one of my ideas was to disrupt the military parade in Moscow on May 9, because it is a symbol of military aggression and today it is an important part of Russia's propaganda," Danila Tkachenko tells Fox News.

Tkachenko rented an apartment close to Red Square for the execution of his plan and stuffed 140 blue and yellow smoke bombs into an air conditioning unit he installed to face the parade route, rigging this souped-up smoke machine to his cellphone and the internet so that he could get out of harm's way before letting it rip. But it never did rip. 

"I saw on live TV the police working right near where the smoke bombs had been installed. And I realized they had managed to prevent my action," Tkachenko said. 

I remember reading about the foiled plot that day last year. If Tkachenko’s sabotage had gone off as planned, there would have been a sort of Ukrainian flag floating in the air over the lines of leg-swinging Russian soldiers, the defense minister cruising upright in his open car, and the tanks moving silently through the streets of the capital.

An ephemeral Christo-style installation but with a lasting effect – wrapping Red Square in blue and yellow. Tkachenko says as a consequence of this plot that never went off is the security services went on to harass family members and overturn his apartment. What pains him most is that they arrested a friend of his who had nothing to do with the plot. He is now doing community service for his trumped-up sins, according to Tkachenko.

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In exile, in Italy, Tkachenko remains wanted by Russia, he says, but he continues his activism and has been doing some anti-war work with Ukrainian photojournalists. He believes resistance in Russia is active yet hidden.

"It involves a lot of different organizations that work underground like guerrillas. They are relatively successful in setting fire to military registration and enlistment offices, targeting trains, disrupting logistics, looking for people involved in this war," he says. And society, Tkachenko believes, has changed a lot in this year. 

"Everyone had long been in such a state, thinking that this government will last forever and nothing can be changed," he says. "But despite the situation, the war is so brutal it actually gives us hope that things may change, the regime in Russia may change and perhaps stop colonizing people. I personally have more hope now that this regime will soon collapse now than I did before Feb. 24."

So while he is not in Russia to cook up another plot to disrupt on May 9 this year, he reflects on the situation.

"My thoughts are that I hope Ukraine will soon liberate its territories. Victory is coming soon. I think people in Russia understand that the war is lost. And I think that now different men in the security services are fighting over the division of power. I hope this will be the last May 9 of Putin’s Russia."

If you’re spinning your wheels over what to cook for Mother’s Day brunch this year, consider a savory quiche.

Quiche is fairly easy to make yet elevated, versatile and filling. It’s also tasty. 

Below are two ideas courtesy of Grace Vallo, creator of food blog TastefullyGrace.com and Casandra Carrick, owner of LooksDelic.com.

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"Regular quiche is delicious, but cheesy quiche is perfection!" Vallo tells Fox News Digital.

"This quiche has extra cheese, lots of fresh spinach, and finely chopped shallots. It's easy to make ahead and reheat for Mother's Day so you can spend more time with mom the day-of," she continues, adding that you can serve this dish with a quick side salad, breakfast sausage, bacon or potatoes or other brunch favorites.

For this recipe to come out just right, Vallo notes to make sure your store-bought pie crust is savory, with little to no sugar added. 

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She also advises to drizzle your egg/cream mixture very slowly, in a spiral motion throughout your quiche. 

"If you pour too quickly, the mixture won’t have time to absorb into the quiche and it will spill over," she says.

Makes: 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

9" store-bought pie crust

2 ½ cups fresh spinach, packed

1 ¾ cup grated Emmentaler or Jarlsberg cheese, packed

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese, packed

1 cup heavy cream

3 medium shallots, finely chopped

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, optional

Handful of snipped chives, optional

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Instructions: 

1. Bake the crust two-to-three minutes less than recommended on pie crust packaging (usually 10-15 minutes). Set aside.

2. In a medium pot, add olive oil, shallot, and then spinach. Over medium heat, sauté mixture for four-to-five minutes until spinach just wilts.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer mixture to a cutting board lined with a triple layer of paper towels. Use paper towels to squeeze liquid out of the spinach mixture. Roughly chop mixture into bite-sized pieces. Let cool to room temperature. Pop in the fridge for faster cooling.

4. Mix grated cheeses together. Add spinach mixture to cheese mixture and toss. Add spinach/cheese mixture to pie crust in an even layer.

5. Whisk together heavy cream, eggs, and a pinch of salt. Drizzle your egg/cream mixture very slowly, in a spiral motion, throughout your quiche. If you pour too quickly, the mixture won’t have time to absorb into the quiche and it will spill over the edge.

6. Top quiche with a dusting of freshly ground nutmeg or a handful of snipped chives.

7. Bake quiche at 350 °F, uncovered for 30 minutes. Then loosely cover your quiche with foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until quiche is deep golden brown and the egg mixture is set. The total baking time is 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let quiche rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

This original recipe is owned by tastefullygrace.com and was shared with Fox News Digital.

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For a second Mother’s Day quiche option, you arguably can’t go wrong with incorporating bacon in, well, anything. In this quiche recipe from Carrick listed below, the brunch staple shines. 

"Zucchini and bacon quiche is great for Mother’s Day because it’s a light dish with springtime flavors and colors," says Carrick. "It pairs perfectly with fruit or salad to round out the perfect brunch or lunch menu."

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As Carrick highlights, quiche can be prepared ahead of time so try to assemble your quiche early. "This allows for ample time to clean up the kitchen which mom will appreciate," she says. "Then, bake your quiche fresh by putting it in the oven one hour before meal time."

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 small zucchini

1 shallot

½ tsp dried thyme

6 eggs 3 whole, 3 just the whites

½ cup milk

2 pieces cooked bacon crumbled

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 frozen deep dish pie crust

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F. Then heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet.

2. Using a mandoline slicer, slice the zucchini and then the shallot into the hot pan. Sauté the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't brown too much.

3. Season the zucchini and shallot with dried thyme. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In a mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, bacon, shredded mozzarella, salt and pepper.

5. Spread the zucchini mixture evenly across the bottom of the pie crust. Then pour over the egg mixture.

6. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the center of the quiche is set.

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This original recipe is owned by looksdelic.com and was shared with Fox News Digital.