A Victory Day parade, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9, was held on Red Square in the Russian capital Moscow.
This is reported by Russian media.
This yearʼs Victory Day parade in Russia lasted only 45 minutes — in previous years it took at least an hour. There was no military equipment, as well as members of the Russian government — deputy prime ministers and ministers. The air part of the parade was not canceled this year.
The event was attended by Russian military personnel fighting against Ukraine. Also, for the first time, North Korean military personnel fighting against Ukraine in the Kursk region marched in a separate column.
The parade was attended by the leaders of Belarus, Laos, and Malaysia, as well as the presidents of partially recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Kremlin claims that they all came on their own initiative.
This yearʼs parade on Red Square was commanded by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces Andrey Mordvichev, who led the assault on Mariupol in 2022.
The network reported that before the event began, mobile Internet was turned off in central Moscow and SMS messages were restricted.
During the parade, Putin gave a speech in which he stated that “the feat of World War II inspires the soldiers who today carry out the tasks of a ʼspecial military operation’.”
According to him, the Russian military is now “countering an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc”.
Скриншот з трансляції параду
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were no attempts to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations in Russia today.
- The day before, Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a decree allowing the parade to be held in Moscow on May 9. A ceasefire is in effect between Ukraine and Russia from May 9 to 11, but the Russians have already violated it.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.