Vladimir Putin has been forced to cancel his major annual naval parade in St Petersburg over fears of an attack by Ukrainian drones. The decision was confirmed on Monday, June 15, with the Naval Day parade, usually a highlight of the year for the Russian leader, not going ahead next month.
Security Concerns Lead to Cancellation
A source told news outlet Fontanka: "As of 15 June, no presidential decree on holding the main naval parade has been published. Naval deployments to St Petersburg have not been planned." This follows Ukrainian strikes twice in June on Kronstadt, a naval base that serves as headquarters for the Russian Baltic Fleet and plays a key role in the parade.
The cancellation reflects Putin's lack of confidence in his air defenses, amid daily Ukrainian successes targeting sites deep inside Russia.
Previous Parades Scaled Back or Cancelled
The 2024 parade was scaled back but still involved 200 ships and 15,000 military personnel. Last year, it was also cancelled for "security reasons." Putin based the modern Naval Day parade on tsarist traditions from Imperial Russia, starting in 2017.
Last month, Putin went ahead with the Victory Day parade in Moscow after Ukraine agreed not to attack it. However, no such promise was likely for the naval parade after Putin refused to engage in a full ceasefire and peace talks.
Fontanka reported: "No orders have been received from above [to plan the event], though preparations should be in full swing by now." A naval source added: "As you can imagine, it's not the right time."
