Serbia\u2019s Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 and Slovakia\u2019s Robert Fico were the only European leaders present.\u00a0Azerbaijan\u2019s Ilham Aliyev and Laos\u2019 Thongloun Sisoulith cancelled their trips to Russia for Victory Day at the last minute.<\/p>\n
As the parade began, Russian\u00a0Defense Minister Andrei Belousov greeted columns of soldiers,\u00a0breaking with his predecessor Sergei Shoigu, who now heads Russia\u2019s Security Council, by attending the Red Square event wearing<\/a> a civilian suit and tie.<\/p>\n An announcement at the beginning of the parade said over 11,000 soldiers from the Defense Ministry and other security services, including the Federal Security Service (FSB) and National Guard, marched in the parade.\u00a0Another 1,500 servicemen who fought in the \u201cspecial military operation,\u201d the Kremlin\u2019s official name for the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, made an appearance.<\/p>\n Servicemen from \u201cfriendly nations\u201d also took part in Friday\u2019s event, though no North Korean soldiers marched in the parade. However, after the main celebration, Putin did meet<\/a> with North Korean officers and thanked them for their help in fighting Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDoes not include officials from Egypt, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Guinea-Bissau. During his traditional Victory Day address, Putin slammed what he called attempts \u201cto slander the real winners\u201d of World War II, a possible reference to Ukrainian officials who have criticized Moscow\u2019s annual parade, or even to U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s claim<\/a> earlier this week that America did more than \u201cany other country in producing a victorious result.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTruth and justice are on our side. The entire country \u2014 our society, our people \u2014 stand behind those taking part in the special military operation,\u201d the Russian leader added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud of their courage and determination, of the strength of spirit that has always brought us nothing but victory,\u201d Putin said. \u201cRussia will remain an invincible defender against those who support Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism.\u201d<\/p>\n In a nod to Xi, Putin also highlighted China\u2019s role in World War II, saying, \u201cWe\u2019ll always remember that opening the second front brought victory closer,\u201d a reference to the Second Sino-Japanese War\u00a0between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan.<\/p>\n 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. In his 2024 address, for example, he criticized<\/a>\u00a0\u201cWestern elites\u201d for revanchism and \u201cstoking regional conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n After Putin\u2019s speech,\u00a0nearly 200 tanks, including the WWII-era T-34, opened up the mechanized section of the parade. Various types of armored vehicles, artillery systems, drones and infantry vehicles were also seen rolling across Red Square, followed by a flyover of fighter jets and bombers.<\/p>\n No high-ranking U.S. officials appeared to be present at the parade, as some had earlier speculated. The Kremlin had said<\/a> that the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow Lynne Tracy was invited to attend, but it was not immediately clear if she accepted the invitation.<\/p>\n \t\tnews \t\t\t\t\u2018Parade of Pariahs\u2019: On 80th WWII Victory Anniversary, Kremlin Will Flaunt Foreign Guests and Project a Win in Ukraine The 80th anniversary parade came after Putin unilaterally\u00a0ordered<\/a>\u00a0a ceasefire from midnight on May 8 through May 11 to coincide with the celebrations. Ukrainian officials\u00a0dismissed the proposal, calling instead for a 30-day ceasefire initially proposed by the United States in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both sides have accused<\/a> each other of violating the temporary truce.<\/p>\n Despite the polished military display on Red Square, life in the Russian capital has been far from smooth in recent days. An unprecedented wave of Ukrainian drones overnight on Tuesday grounded flights and disrupted air traffic<\/a> at Moscow\u2019s airports, stranding thousands of passengers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Major internet outages have also been reported<\/a> throughout the week as city authorities ramped up security ahead of Victory Day celebrations.<\/p>\n Also, for the first time, restaurants and stores near the parade route were ordered to close, apparently due to concerns that they could be used as staging grounds for bombings. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bombing attacks have struck Moscow several times, most recently in the assassination<\/a> of army general Yaroslav Moskalik on April 25.<\/p>\n Besides Moscow, cities across Russia held their own Victory Day parades, including St. Petersburg,\u00a0Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, Novosibirsk, Yakutsk, Ufa, Kazan and others. In major cities, internet disruptions were reported<\/a> amid the celebrations.<\/p>\n In the southwestern Belgorod region, authorities reported<\/a> Ukrainian drone attacks against the regional government building as May 9 commemorations were just about to get underway. Victory Day events would still take place despite the air assault, authorities said.<\/p>\n A Message from The Moscow Times:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear readers,<\/p>\n We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated The Moscow Times as an “undesirable” organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a “foreign agent.”<\/p>\n These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. 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