Kremlin Holds May 9 Red Square Victory Day Parade Without Military Equipment, Citing Ukrainian Terrorist Activity

Russia will hold its May 9 Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square without military equipment, the Kremlin said, citing what it described as “Ukrainian terrorist activity” and the “current operational situation.”

“Russia scales back Moscow Victory Day parade, blaming threat from Ukraine Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May will be scaled back this year because of a "terrorist threat" from Ukraine, the Kremlin has said”

BBC

The South China Morning Post reported that Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade on Red Square had been scaled back and would not include military equipment due to the risk of “Ukrainian terrorist activity,” while the Kremlin said the parade would exclude “a column of military equipment” and that “representatives of certain educational institutions would not participate.”

BBC

The BBC similarly reported that Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May will be scaled back because of a “terrorist threat” from Ukraine, with the Kremlin saying “All measures are being taken to minimise the danger.”

The Russian defence ministry said this year’s parade would include representatives of all branches of Russia’s armed forces and a “colourful fly-past,” but made clear that “cadets from Suvorov military schools, Nakhimov [naval] schools, and cadet corps, as well as a column of military equipment will not participate.”

CNN described the same decision as a “more low-key affair,” saying the parade would feature “a column of troops from military academies and the armed forces marching on foot” while “no military hardware will roll past Lenin’s tomb this year.”

Multiple outlets also tied the change to the invasion’s duration, with the Washington Post and POLITICO noting it would be the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that the parade would exclude tanks, missiles and other military equipment, and POLITICO adding that “students of the Suvorov military and Nakhimov schools, cadet corps, and military equipment column will not participate in the military parade this year.”

The Kremlin’s explanation for the scaled-back parade centered on security fears tied to Ukraine’s actions deep inside Russia, with Dmitry Peskov repeatedly linking the decision to a “terrorist threat.”

The BBC quoted President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying “All measures are being taken to minimise the danger,” and it reported that Russia’s military explained the commemorations would not feature military vehicles or cadets due to the “current operational situation.”

CNN

In the same reporting, Peskov told reporters that “the Kyiv regime, which is losing ground on the battlefield every day, has now launched into full-scale terrorist activity,” and he added “Therefore, given this terrorist threat, all measures are, of course, being taken to minimise the danger.”

The South China Morning Post likewise said the Kremlin scaled back the parade and excluded military equipment due to the risk of “Ukrainian terrorist activity,” while its defence ministry statement said “and nor will a column of military equipment take part in the military parade in connection with the current operational situation.”

CNN echoed the Kremlin’s framing, quoting Peskov as saying “We’re talking about the operational situation,” and that “The Kyiv regime, which is losing ground on the battlefield every day, has now launched a full-scale terrorist attack.”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also reported that Peskov blamed Ukraine and its “terrorist activity,” describing it as “clearly a reference to drone attacks Kyiv has launched as it battles against Russia’s full-scale invasion.”

Ukraine has not publicly commented on the Kremlin’s accusations, but a senior Ukrainian official rejected any attack on the Victory Day parade in Moscow, according to the BBC.

“Russia to Hold Smaller WW2 Victory Parade, Citing Ukrainian Threats By Mark Trevelyan Russia Announces Scaled-Down Victory Day Parade Amid Security Concerns LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) - Russia will hold a slimmed-down version of its annual parade to celebrate victory in World War Two, without the usual display of weaponry, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, citing an increased threat of Ukrainian attacks”

Global Banking & Finance Review

The BBC reported that Kyiv says it is hitting legitimate military targets and accuses Moscow of attacking civilians in Ukraine, and it added that Ukraine has recently intensified its strikes deep inside Russia more than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Against that backdrop, the BBC quoted Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, saying: “Nobody is attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure,” and it added that Podoliak pointed out that there would be many ordinary civilians in Moscow watching the event.

The BBC also described how Moscow has in recent weeks witnessed several Ukrainian drone attacks, with the Russian military regularly reporting that most projectiles are being shot down, and it said Ukraine has significantly increased its strikes on key energy facilities deep inside Russia.

The Guardian similarly described the Kremlin’s stated reason as “Ukrainian terrorist activity,” while also reporting that Ukrainian long-range drones continue to strike Russian territory on an almost daily basis and that the attacks have largely focused on industrial and military sites, including oil infrastructure and logistics hubs.

In the same Guardian account, Ruslan Leviev, an independent analyst, told TV Rain that “Equipment is vulnerable even during the preparation stage, as columns park and rehearse outside Moscow on open training grounds that are easy to hit with drones.”

Beyond the Kremlin’s stated security rationale, several outlets connected the scaled-back parade to broader pressures inside Russia and to the practical risks of drone strikes.

CNN framed the decision as coming “amid mounting pressures and threats,” describing the May 9 parade as the “headline event for Russian President Vladimir Putin,” but saying this year it would be “a more low-key affair.”

Kyiv Post

CNN linked the change to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure and to drone strikes that had “disrupted life in the Russian capital before,” while also noting that Russia had been changing traditional parade formats and that “it is the first time since the invasion of Ukraine that armoured columns will not be rolling on the Red Square.”

The BBC reported that the first reports that this year’s event would be scaled down emerged on social media earlier this month, with pro-Kremlin military bloggers writing about a growing threat of Ukrainian long-range aerial attacks, including a quote from blogger Ilya Tumanov saying: “Imagine, 'Parade, stand at attention', and then a missile threat is announced.”

The BBC also reported that a telecoms source told BBC Russian that “more powerful” restrictions on mobile communications would be imposed in Moscow on 5, 7 and 9 May, and it said mobile internet services were severely disrupted in the centre of Moscow in March, with authorities linking the disruption to security reasons.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty added that Kirill Martynov, the editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta Europe, said “Ukraine's ability to strike deep into Russian territory has indeed grown in recent years,” and he warned that “a breach of air defense during this parade, with all the distinguished guests present, is absolutely a very real threat.”

The scaled-back parade is being presented by Russian authorities as a way to reduce danger, but it also signals how the war’s trajectory is shaping state spectacle and security planning.

“The Russian armed forces are laboring in the Donbas, while Ukrainian drones expose the Kremlin’s vulnerabilities”

POLITICO.eu

The Guardian reported that the defence ministry said no armoured vehicles or missile systems would roll across Red Square during the parade, and it described the Kremlin’s propaganda framing of Victory Day as a justification for the conflict, with Putin using the celebrations to justify the conflict.

POLITICO.eu

The Guardian also said that last year’s 80th anniversary celebration was an exception, with at least 27 foreign heads of state in attendance and a full procession of tanks, rocket launchers and drones rolling across Red Square, underscoring the contrast with this year’s omissions.

CNN described the parade’s reduction as arriving at an “inflection point for Putin,” linking it to internet disruptions and to repeated Ukrainian attacks on the oil refinery at Tuapse that triggered huge fires and “toxic black rain,” while also noting that images of the unfolding environmental disaster underscored what some had seen as a slow response by authorities.

The BBC reported that footage would be shown on national TV of Russian military personnel “carrying out tasks in the special military operation zone,” and it said Russia’s military explained the parade would still be held on Red Square despite the changes.

In the Global Banking & Finance Review (Reuters), Mark Trevelyan reported that the May 9 parade would be “a slimmed-down version” without the usual display of weaponry, and it included Kremlin critic Abbas Gallyamov’s mocking question: “Are they afraid of a mutiny? Or has all the equipment burned up in Ukraine?”