Russia Holds Scaled-Down Victory Day Parade as Temporary Ukraine Ceasefire Takes Effect

Russia held a dramatically scaled-down Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square on May 9, 2025, featuring no military hardware for the first time in nearly two decades and instead broadcasting pre-recorded videos from war frontlines. The reduced celebration coincided with a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine from May 9-11, 2025, brokered by US President Donald Trump and including a prisoner exchange of 1,000 for 1,000 as confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The downsized event reflected heightened security concerns following intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, with mobile internet restrictions warned for Moscow residents and Western journalists like CNN barred from attending despite prior accreditation. While China's Xi Jinping attended the 2024 parade, the 2025 event drew leaders primarily from allied states including Belarus, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and North Korea, with Slovakia's Robert Fico visiting for bilateral talks.

Scaled-Down Victory Day Parade Format and Security Concerns

• ▪Russia's May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square featured no military hardware for the first time in nearly two decades
• ▪Pre-recorded videos from Russia's war frontlines were broadcast on screens in Red Square during the May 9, 2026 Victory Day parade instead of traditional military hardware displays
• ▪Several international journalists, including CNN, who were accredited to attend the May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade were told by the Kremlin on May 7, 2025 that they were no longer able to attend

Reduced International Attendance and Diplomatic Isolation

• ▪China's leader Xi Jinping attended Russia's May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade but did not attend the May 9, 2026 parade
• ▪Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attended Russia's May 9, 2026 Victory Day parade in Moscow
• ▪Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin on May 8, 2025
• ▪Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar attended Russia's May 9, 2026 Victory Day parade in Moscow
• ▪Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico was in Moscow for a bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin but did not attend the May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade
• ▪Four parade units, including from North Korea, participated in Russia's May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade

Putin's Rhetoric Linking WWII to Ukraine Conflict

• ▪World War II veteran Svet Turunov was seated to Vladimir Putin's right during the May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade
• ▪Vladimir Putin told Russian journalists at the Kremlin on May 9, 2025 that Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico mentioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to hold a personal meeting
• ▪Around 27 million people in the Soviet Union, including many millions from Ukraine, died during World War II
• ▪Russia's annual May 9 parade commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II
• ▪Leonid Ryzhov, a participant in Russia's special military operation who was awarded a Hero of Russia title in 2022, was seated to Vladimir Putin's left during the May 9, 2025 Victory Day parade