Russia marked Victory Day on May 9, 2026, with a pared-back parade on Red Square that featured no tanks, missiles or other heavy military equipment, the first time in nearly two decades that the Moscow parade went ahead without its signature display of armor. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said the war in Ukraine has forced Vladimir Putin to scale down the event because he can no longer reliably protect Russia’s deep rear, including the capital, from Ukrainian drones.

A parade under tight security

Apart from the traditional flyover of combat jets, the roughly 45-minute parade relied on marching troops, while videos of Russia’s newest hardware played on screens. Officials cited the “current operational situation” and extra security measures against possible Ukrainian attacks, and state television said the heavy weapons were needed on the battlefield. Red Square parades had included heavy equipment every year since 2008, and many smaller parades across Russia were reduced or cancelled.

Moscow also restricted mobile internet and text messaging for “security reasons,” a move widely seen as an attempt to hinder drone attacks. The restrictions were lifted after the parade.

“Victory has always been ours”

Putin’s speech focused heavily on history and rarely addressed the war directly. He said Russian troops “face an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire bloc of NATO,” and closed by declaring: “Victory has always been ours, and it always will be!”

For the first time, North Korean soldiers marched on Red Square, after Pyongyang sent troops to help Russia push Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region. Foreign guests included Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Laos, while Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stayed away.

Ceasefires and a mocking decree

Ahead of the parade, Russia declared a ceasefire for May 8 and 9, and Ukraine announced its own truce from May 6, but both sides accused each other of violations. On May 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a tongue-in-cheek decree “allowing” the parade to take place and excluding Red Square from Ukrainian strikes during the event. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed it as a “silly joke.” US President Donald Trump separately announced a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to 11 and a prisoner exchange.

The scaled-back celebration underlined how far Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign now reaches. Ukrainian drones regularly strike energy sites, factories and depots more than 1,000 kilometers inside Russia, making it harder for Moscow to guarantee security even in the heart of the capital.

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