More than three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia is hosting its 80th anniversary Victory Day parade complete with a massive military performance on Red Square in Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin welcomed a procession of foreign leaders in a showing of international support and wartime defiance.
Together with leaders of Russia’s longstanding allies in Central Asia, more than two dozen foreign leaders joined the festivities in Moscow, including Xi Jinping of China, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
The only European leaders there are Robert Fico of Slovakia and Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia.
Both Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos abruptly canceled their Victory Day trips to Russia.
Unlike his predecessor, Sergei Shoigu, who currently leads Russia’s Security Council, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov wore a civilian suit and tie to the Red Square event, greeting columns of soldiers as the procession got underway.
Over 11,000 soldiers from the Defense Ministry and other security services, such as the Federal Security Service (FSB) and National Guard, marched in the parade, according to a statement made at the start of the procession.
The Kremlin’s official term for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “special military operation,” was used to describe the actions of another 1,500 service members.
Servicemen from “friendly nations” also took part in Friday’s event.
After the main celebration, Putin met with North Korean officers and thanked them for their help in fighting Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.
During his traditional Victory Day address, Putin slammed what he called attempts “to slander the real winners” of World War II, a possible reference to Ukrainian officials who have criticized Moscow’s annual parade, or even to U.S.
Putin also sought to highlight China’s role in World War II, saying, “We’ll always remember that opening the second front brought victory closer,” a reference to the Second Sino-Japanese War between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan.
Unlike previous years, the Kremlin leader dedicated little of his speech on Friday to the ongoing war against Ukraine and avoided direct condemnations of the West.
After Putin’s speech, nearly 200 tanks, including the WWII-era T-34, opened up the mechanized section of the parade. Various types of armoured vehicles, artillery systems, drones and infantry vehicles were also seen rolling across Red Square, followed by a flyover of fighter jets and bombers.
The 80th anniversary parade comes after Putin unilaterally ordered a ceasefire from midnight on May 8 through May 11 to coincide with the celebrations.
Besides Moscow, cities across Russia held their own Victory Day military parades, including St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, Novosibirsk, Yakutsk, Ufa, Kazan and others. In major cities, internet disruptions were reported amid the celebrations.
