BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Russian President Vladimir Putin used Moscow’s annual Victory Day celebrations on Saturday to project confidence in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, declaring that victory remained inevitable even as this year’s military parade on Red Square unfolded without the tanks, missile launchers and heavy military hardware that have long defined the event.
The annual commemoration marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II remains Russia’s most important national holiday and one of the Kremlin’s most powerful displays of patriotism and military strength. But this year’s ceremony reflected the realities of a prolonged war that has now entered its fifth year and continues to place enormous demands on Russia’s military resources.
Under exceptionally tight security, Putin stood before rows of soldiers and foreign dignitaries gathered in the heart of Moscow and praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, portraying the conflict as a broader confrontation with the West.
“Our soldiers face an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc,” Putin said during his address. “Victory has always been and will be ours.”
He described Russian forces as fighting for a “just cause” and said the country’s endurance, unity and moral strength would guarantee success on the battlefield despite mounting international pressure and economic sanctions.
The parade itself, however, highlighted how significantly the war has altered Russia’s military posture.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the massive procession on Red Square did not include columns of tanks, armored vehicles, missile systems or other heavy equipment traditionally showcased during Victory Day celebrations. Only a ceremonial flyover of combat aircraft accompanied marching troops.
Russian officials attributed the unusual decision to what they called the “current operational situation,” an apparent acknowledgment of both battlefield demands and growing fears of possible Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russian territory.
State television commentators said heavy military equipment was needed more urgently on the front lines in Ukraine than in ceremonial displays in Moscow.
The absence of armor and missile systems marked a striking contrast to previous Victory Day parades, which often featured displays of Russia’s most advanced weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Victory Day ceremonies have long served as a cornerstone of Putin’s political messaging. Since coming to power more than 25 years ago, he has used the annual event to cultivate nationalism, reinforce Russia’s identity as a military power, and connect modern conflicts to the Soviet Union’s immense sacrifices during World War II.
The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people during the war against Nazi Germany, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. The memory of that conflict remains one of the few issues capable of uniting Russians across political and ideological divides.
“We celebrate this day with pride and love for our country,” Putin said. “Our soldiers made colossal sacrifices for the freedom and dignity of Europe’s peoples and achieved a victory that remains one of the greatest in history.”
Security concerns dominated preparations for this year’s celebrations.
Authorities imposed sweeping restrictions across Moscow, including temporary shutdowns of mobile internet access and text messaging services in parts of the capital. Officials said the measures were necessary to ensure public safety amid fears that Ukraine could attempt drone strikes or sabotage operations during the parade.
The Kremlin’s concerns reflected Ukraine’s expanding ability to strike targets far inside Russian territory using increasingly sophisticated long-range drones.
Since the start of the war, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian oil facilities, military depots, industrial plants and infrastructure hundreds of kilometers from the border. Ukrainian drone technology has evolved dramatically since 2022, allowing strikes deep inside Russia, including around Moscow itself.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mocked Russia’s security fears, suggesting that Moscow worried drones could appear over Red Square during the Victory Day events.
Later, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a temporary ceasefire running through the holiday weekend, Zelenskyy sarcastically issued a decree “permitting” Russia to hold its celebrations without Ukrainian strikes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the move as a “silly joke,” insisting Russia needed no permission to commemorate Victory Day.
Despite ceasefire announcements from both sides, fighting reportedly continued in several areas of Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of violating temporary truces.
Trump expressed optimism Friday that the short pause in fighting and a planned prisoner exchange could become “the beginning of the end” of the war, though analysts remained skeptical given repeated failures of earlier ceasefire efforts.
Russia’s military has continued making gradual territorial advances along the front line stretching more than 1,000 kilometers across eastern and southern Ukraine. However, those gains have come at heavy cost, while Ukraine has intensified long-range attacks designed to weaken Russian logistics and infrastructure.
Russian officials issued unusually stark warnings ahead of the parade, threatening a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv” if Ukraine attempted to disrupt the Moscow celebrations.
The Russian Defense Ministry even advised civilians and foreign diplomatic personnel in Kyiv to leave the Ukrainian capital temporarily, though European Union diplomats indicated they would remain.
Saturday’s parade also underscored Russia’s deepening military and political ties with North Korea.
For the first time, troops from North Korea participated in the Victory Day ceremony, a symbolic acknowledgment of Pyongyang’s support for Moscow during the war. North Korean forces have reportedly assisted Russian troops in countering Ukrainian incursions into Russia’s Kursk region.
The appearance of North Korean soldiers on Red Square highlighted the increasingly global dimensions of the conflict and Russia’s growing reliance on non-Western allies as relations with Europe and the United States remain deeply hostile.
Several foreign leaders attended the festivities despite international criticism and Western efforts to isolate Moscow diplomatically.
Among those present were Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also traveled to Moscow, laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin walls, though he did not attend the Red Square parade itself.
Fico’s visit sparked criticism within Europe, particularly from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who publicly expressed regret over the Slovak leader’s trip and signaled the issue would be discussed within the European Union.
During talks at the Kremlin, Fico criticized what he described as a new “Iron Curtain” emerging across Europe and emphasized Slovakia’s continued dependence on Russian energy supplies.
Putin praised Fico for pursuing what he called a “sovereign” foreign policy and for honoring Soviet soldiers who died during World War II.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov later said Fico had informed Putin about his recent conversations with Zelenskyy but did not convey any formal message from the Ukrainian president.
While the atmosphere in Moscow remained carefully choreographed and patriotic, the scaled-back nature of the parade revealed the pressures facing Russia as the war drags on with no clear end in sight.
For years, Red Square’s Victory Day celebrations served as symbols of unchallenged military confidence and geopolitical power. This year, the absence of tanks and heavy weapons suggested a more cautious reality — one in which the Kremlin remains determined to project strength while confronting the mounting costs and uncertainties of a prolonged conflict.
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