It is supposed to be a projection of Moscow’s military strength, but Saturday’s Victory Day parade in Red Square only revealed Russia’s weakness – ITV News Bulletin Reporter Philip Sime has more
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin said he is confident of victory in Ukraine during a scaled-back annual military parade in Moscow as a three-day ceasefire took effect.
Putin was able to make his claim in relative safety, after Ukraine promised not to attack the Victory Day parade in the Russian capital on Saturday.
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His comments suggest there is little hope in extending the temporary ceasefire, which is expected to run from Saturday through Monday.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the parade on Red Square, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, did not include tanks, missiles and other heavy equipment, aside from a traditional flyover of combat jets.
Security was tight in Moscow as Putin and several foreign leaders attended the parade, following concerns about possible Ukrainian attempts to disrupt the festivities.
Putin, in power for more than a quarter-century, has used Victory Day, Russia’s most important secular holiday, to showcase the country’s military might and rally support for his military action in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
Speaking at the parade, Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, declaring that they “face an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire bloc of Nato,” and are fighting for a “just cause”.
“Victory has always been and will be ours,” Putin said. “The key to success is our moral strength, courage and valour, our unity and ability to endure anything and overcome any challenge.”
Officials explained the sudden change of format by the “current operational situation” and said that additional security measures have been taken in response to the threat of Ukrainian attacks.
State television commentators said that the heavy weaponry was more needed at the battlefield in Ukraine.
For the first time, Saturday’s parade featured troops from North Korea, a tribute to Pyongyang that sent its soldiers to fight alongside Moscow forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a truce that was supposed to begin on May 6.
Neither of those earlier ceasefires held, however, as each party traded blame for continuing attacks.
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US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine had bowed to his request for a ceasefire running Saturday through Monday and an exchange of prisoners.
He declared that the break in fighting could be the “beginning of the end” of the war, although Putin’s rhetoric casts doubt on this claim.
Zelenskyy, who said earlier this week that the Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” on May 9, followed up on Trump’s statement by issuing a decree mockingly permitting Russia to hold its Victory Day celebrations, declaring Red Square temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged off Zelenskyy’s decree as a “silly joke.” “We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of our Victory Day,” Peskov told reporters.
