Russian dictator Vladimir Putin used his Victory Day speech in Moscow on Saturday, May 9, to claim that Russia would emerge victorious in its war against Ukraine, despite ongoing setbacks and Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory, BBC reported.
During the speech, Putin repeated long-standing propaganda, asserting that Russia is fighting a broader conflict against the entire NATO bloc. He also offered thanks to all those participating in the invasion on Russia’s side.
“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” Putin said in his address according to AFP, referring to the Ukraine war with his customary euphemism.
A stripped-back event
The 2026 parade was marked by several historic anomalies and extreme security measures. For the first time since 2007, the parade featured no military hardware, consisting only of marching units.
In a first for Red Square, according to Telegram channel, a separate column of North Korean troops – who had previously seen combat in the Kursk region – participated in the march. Before the event began, authorities disabled mobile internet and restricted SMS services in central Moscow.
The entire event lasted only 45 minutes.
The parade was commanded by Andrei Mordvichev, known for his role in the siege of Mariupol, and reviewed by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. International attendance remained sparse, with only a few foreign guests present, including Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim, and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.
A humanitarian gesture from Kyiv
The parade took place in a city that, due to a specific humanitarian gesture from Kyiv, was experiencing a reprieve from Ukrainian drone threats.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a formal decree on Friday excluding Red Square from Ukraine’s list of military targets for the duration of the event. The restriction, which began at 10 a.m. Kyiv time, established a specific geographic “no-strike zone” to facilitate broader diplomatic efforts.
Ukrainian officials clarified that the decision was driven by humanitarian considerations, specifically an agreement to carry out a large-scale exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war. Zelensky maintained that the safety of Ukrainian POWs returned in the swap was a higher priority than striking the Russian capital during the holiday.
While the ceasefire and exchange agreement signaled a rare moment of cooperation, the situation on the front lines remains tense as Putin continues to frame the invasion as a fight for Russian survival.