Overview
- Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed late Tuesday that the Red Square event will exclude tanks, missile launchers and other vehicles because of the “current operational situation.”
- The parade will feature marching servicemen from military academies and an air flypast, with Su-25 jets expected to paint the sky in the national colors and the TV broadcast showing footage from the war in Ukraine.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed a terrorist threat from Kyiv, a justification independent experts link to Ukraine’s growing drone reach and the risk to parade routes and equipment staging areas.
- St. Petersburg’s event will also forgo hardware, with local authorities slashing the guest stand to roughly 300 seats after a security review.
- This will be the first Victory Day in nearly two decades without a vehicle column in Moscow, breaking a tradition used to showcase state power since 2008 and underscoring the political stakes of the spectacle.