Russia Scales Back Victory Day Parade, Fearing Ukrainian Drone Strikes
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that next week’s annual Victory Day parade will take place without tanks, missiles or other heavy military equipment, due to the “current operational situation” in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov is more explicit blame the threat of “terrorist activity” from Ukraine as a reason to scale back the parade.
“All measures are being taken to minimize the danger,” Peskov said.
Victory Day is Russia’s Day vacation to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. During the quarter-century rule of nationalist strongman Vladimir Putin, the event increasingly became an opportunity to promote a revised version of history in which Russia almost single-handedly defeated the Germans.
This became especially evident after 2022, when Russia’s former World War II allies in Europe and the United States turned against Putin for invading Ukraine. Putin is using Victory Day for a propaganda counter-offensive, comparing Ukrainians to defeated Nazis and his own regime as heirs to the heroes of the “Great Patriotic War.” Unfortunately for this narrative, the war in Ukraine has now lasted longer than the war with Germany.
Victory Day is also generally seen as an opportunity for Putin to show off Russia’s military force, often in the presence of representatives of allies such as China and North Korea.
The Russians faced widespread criticism for scaling back the VE Day parade in 2023 and 2024 as the war with Ukraine continued, but the 2025 parade for the 80th anniversary of VE Day was a grand spectacle, apparently intended to show that Russia could replenish its losses in Ukraine. The complete absence of expensive military hardware at the 2026 parade is clearly an embarrassment for Putin.
Not only will the “columns of military equipment” be absent from Red Square this year, but the Defense Ministry said there would be fewer soldiers participating in the parade, and no cadets from Russia’s main military academies. The last time the parade took place without any military vehicles was in 2007.
The BBC note that rumors that Russia’s concern over Ukrainian drone attacks might lead it to scale back the Victory Day parade began swirling on military blogs this month. Pro-Putin bloggers were horrified that the parade would be hit by a Ukrainian strike or turned into a scene of panic by air raid warnings. They also noticed that none of the usual preparations for a massive parade were underway in Moscow.
“Ukraine’s ability to strike deep into Russian territory has indeed increased in recent years and, generally speaking, a violation of air defense during this parade, in the presence of all distinguished guests, poses an absolutely real threat,” said Kirill Martynov, editor-in-chief of the Russian independent newspaper. Novaya Gazeta Europe, as quoted by Radio Free Europe on Wednesday.
“No one understands when the war will end or under what circumstances. More and more people, even among those who supported the war, feel some disappointment,” he added, predicting that the scaled-down parade would not be well received.
Tuesday, Putin announcement a 72-hour unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine for “humanitarian reasons”, which will begin on May 8. Ukraine dismissed the announcement as mere staging surrounding the Victory Day parade.
“If Russia really wants peace, it must cease fire immediately,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
“Why wait until May 8? If we can cease fire now on any date and for 30 days – to make it real, not just for a parade,” Sybiha said.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Putin’s posture was seen as an insult to Ukraine, which would never plan an attack on a major public event bringing together thousands of civilians.
Putin’s ceasefire would be accompanied by a massive internet and mobile phone blackout, starting May 5, apparently to disrupt Ukrainian targeting.
The leftist New York Times reported that instead of their cell phone communications, Putin will offer Russians “a live broadcast showing troops on the front line in Ukraine and the crews of Russian nuclear forces, aerospace divisions and naval ships.”
