Putin scales back Victory Day parade amid drone fears and Ukraine war

For the first time in nearly two decades, Moscow’s Victory Day parade passed without tanks, missiles or other heavy ground weapons on Red Square. The stripped-down display, held under tight security amid fears of Ukrainian drone attacks, showed how Russia’s most important secular holiday has become not just a commemoration of World War II but a test of how far the Kremlin can still project control while its war in Ukraine grinds on in its fifth year.

A traditional flyover of combat jets still cut across the capital, preserving one of the parade’s most visible symbols of military power. But the absence of heavy armor marked a sharp retreat from the large-scale spectacle Vladimir Putin has long used to showcase strength and rally support for the war. Fewer international leaders attended than in previous years, and press access was more limited, underscoring the tighter political atmosphere surrounding this year’s ceremony.

The pared-back parade came after Putin declared a two-day ceasefire for May 8 and May 9 to coincide with the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered with his own ceasefire proposal starting on the night of May 5 and May 6. Russia and Ukraine then accused each other of violating Putin’s unilateral truce, a familiar pattern in a war that has become one of Europe’s most destructive since World War II.

Putin used the day to keep his wider political narrative intact. After the celebrations, he said he believed the conflict was nearing an end and signaled openness to talks on future European security arrangements. Yet he continued to cast Russia’s aims in Ukraine as just and blamed NATO for backing what Moscow describes as an aggressive force. That combination of conciliatory language and hard-line framing captured the central tension of the day: a Kremlin trying to sound confident about peace while staging a celebration shaped by fear, strain and the need to look in control.