Vladimir Putin Presides Over Scaled-Down Victory Day Parade on Moscow’s Red Square After Ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a scaled-down Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday after a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect.

Putin used the occasion to link Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine to the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, saying, “The great feat of the victorious generation inspires the soldiers carrying out the tasks of the special military operation today.”

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The parade marked a break from the usual display of heavy military equipment, with no military hardware on show at all—described as the first time in nearly two decades—while more than 1,000 soldiers from the “special military operation” took part, according to state media RIA Novosti.

CNN reported that several international journalists accredited to attend, including CNN, were told by the Kremlin on Thursday they were no longer able to do so, with CNN told only that the “host broadcasters” would be attending due to the curtailed format.

NBC News said the parade was brief and took place amid tight security after U.S.-led ceasefire arrangements eased concerns about Ukraine disrupting the occasion with drone attacks.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Friday post that Moscow’s Red Square “is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home,” as the temporary ceasefire deal included a prisoner exchange to free 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelenskyy’s decree mockingly permitting Russia to hold its Victory Day celebrations on Saturday, telling reporters, “We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of our Victory Day.”

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NBC News reported that Zelenskyy had earlier questioned Russia’s unilateral offer of a ceasefire, saying the Kremlin was “afraid that drones may buzz over Red Square,” and that Russian officials interpreted his words as a threat to strike the parade.

After the parade, the BBC said Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine of breaking the ceasefire, without providing details, while Ukraine did not immediately comment.

The BBC also described the parade’s format shift as the result of security fears, noting that for the first time in years no armoured vehicles or ballistic missiles featured in Moscow’s Victory Day parade under tightened security.

Putin told reporters after the parade that he believes the Ukraine conflict is “heading to an end,” while also calling it “still a serious matter,” and he said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe.

The Guardian reported that Putin said his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and it also said Russia, Ukraine and Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire with an exchange of 1,000 prisoners each during the truce.

CBS News said Putin added he was ready to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country only once all conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled, quoting him: “This should be the final point, not the negotiations themselves.”

The BBC described how the parade’s muted hardware display was justified by officials as the “current operational situation” and the threat of Ukrainian attacks, while also noting that Putin said heavy weaponry was absent because the military needs it on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Across the sources, the stakes tied to the ceasefire and security measures remained central, with the BBC saying Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of violations amid continued drone activity and civilian casualties on both sides.