A military parade without military equipment. On May 9, Moscow’s Red Square will host a Victory Day celebration that could lack substance for Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader, who has used commemorations of the end of the Great Patriotic War (the Russian term for World War II) to promote his propaganda on the offensive in Ukraine since February 2022, is now being confronted by the realities of war.
Officially, the Ministry of Defense justified the absence this year of tanks, armored vehicles and all other heavy equipment by citing the “current operational situation.” In reality, according to Russian exile media and military experts within Russia, authorities fear the parade could be targeted by drones or even missiles launched by the Ukrainian military. In recent months, Kyiv has ramped up strikes deep inside Russian territory, targeting various regions, including ports on the Baltic Sea and the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea. In 2025, three days before the parade, Moscow itself was targeted by Ukrainian drones. Air defenses intercepted 19 drones over the capital, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
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