Vladimir Putin has removed tanks and military hardware from Russia's annual World War II parade through Red Square over concerns that Ukraine could launch an attack. The decision to scale down the May 9 parade comes more than four years into Russia's war in Ukraine, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties and drained significant economic resources.
In recent months, Kyiv's military has intensified long-range strikes against energy and military targets deep behind front lines, regularly dispatching drones towards Moscow. 'Against the backdrop of this terrorist threat, every measure is being taken to minimise the danger,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. Russia often characterises Ukrainian strikes as 'terrorism,' while Kyiv maintains they are a legitimate response to Moscow's nightly bombardments of its cities.
The Russian defence ministry announced on Tuesday night via Telegram that several military schools, cadet corps, 'as well as the military hardware column, will not be participating in this year's military parade due to the current operational situation.' Last year, Ukraine attempted to disrupt the flagship event by launching swarms of drones at Moscow, causing travel chaos with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed.
Russian pro-war blogger Alexander Sladkov described the decision as 'logical, given the circumstances.' Another military correspondent, Alexander Kots, noted, 'It could easily not have taken place at all because of the terrorist threat.'
The May 9 parade commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and has become a major set-piece event under Putin. World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, is the central historical narrative of Putin's quarter-century rule. The former KGB spy repeatedly invokes the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany to justify his offensive against Ukraine, a claim dismissed by Kyiv as propaganda.
Last year, more than two dozen world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, attended the parade in Moscow to watch a procession of thousands of troops, some of whom had fought in Ukraine. After promising a swift defeat of Ukraine in 2022, Russia's army has been bogged down in gruelling warfare for over four years, suffering heavy losses in personnel and military equipment.
Victory Day processions are typically held across the Russian Federation, with street parties and marches occurring as far east as Vladivostok, nearly 4,000 miles from Moscow. Although few veterans of the Great Patriotic War remain alive 80 years after Berlin fell to the Red Army, the victory over Nazi Germany remains the most important and widely revered symbol of Soviet and Russian military prowess. Nazi troops overran much of the western Soviet Union after invading in June 1941, but were eventually driven back to Berlin, where the USSR's hammer and sickle flag was raised above the ruined capital. The US, UK, France, and other allies mark the end of the war in Europe on May 8.
