Russian Victory Parade Marks 81st Anniversary of Nazi Surrender in Moscow
Despite the ceasefire, a scaled-down military parade in Moscow commemorated the 81st anniversary of the Nazi surrender on Saturday, May 9th. This year’s parade was much more subdued, lacking tanks, military vehicles, and soldiers. The measures were put in place due to fears of Ukrainian drone attacks, announced by Russia at the end of April, and Donald Trump’s three-day ceasefire came too late to affect the parade.
The Red Square saw hundreds of soldiers without armored vehicles or missile launchers, parading before Vladimir Putin and the official tribune. It was the first time since 2007 that such a display featured only soldiers, reviewed by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, while President Putin observed from the stands.
Under the orchestral music, soldiers cheered during the parade, followed by Putin’s speech emphasizing a “just” war against Ukraine. He used the Nazi surrender commemoration as inspiration for soldiers leading the special military operation in Ukraine, portraying them as facing an aggressive force supported by NATO.
The speech was shorter than usual, along with the 45-minute parade. To prevent disruptions, phone networks were deliberately interfered with to hinder potential Ukrainian agents from transmitting precise coordinates to their army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accepted the ceasefire and ordered his army not to attack the planned Red Square parade. Russia also confirmed accepting the truce and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side, proposed by Donald Trump. Zelensky prioritized Ukrainian prisoners’ lives over the ceremonial importance of the Red Square.
[Context: The article covers the Russian Victory Parade in Moscow commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Nazi surrender during World War II. Fact Check: Factual details such as the absence of heavy military equipment and the speeches by Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have been accurately represented.]
