![\"Vladimir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778330115_257_vladimir-putin.jpg\")
<\/p>\nVladimir Putin oversaw a muted Victory Day parade in Red Square today amid concerns Ukrainian drone strike threats could embarrass Russia.<\/p>\n
For the first time since 2008, the annual parade marking the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany proceeded without tanks, missile systems and other heavy weaponry rolling through Moscow’s Red Square.<\/p>\n
Only a ceremonial flypast of military aircraft accompanied the marching troops.<\/p>\n
Kremlin officials attributed the stripped-down format to the “current operational situation”, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledging that “additional security measures” had been put in place.<\/p>\n
The event, Russia’s most significant secular holiday, has traditionally served as a platform for President Putin to demonstrate military might and bolster domestic support for the Ukraine conflict.<\/p>\n
This year’s celebrations were overshadowed by mockery from Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky taunting that Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” on May 9.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian leader escalated his trolling by publishing a satirical “decree” purportedly granting Russia permission to hold its parade safely. <\/p>\n
The fake document, designed to resemble an official presidential order, listed Red Square’s coordinates and declared the area temporarily excluded from plans for the “use of Ukrainian weapons”.<\/p>\n
Russia’s Victory Day parade was without it’s usual military display <\/p>\n
| <\/p>\n
REUTERS<\/p>\n
The Kremlin sought to dismiss the provocation. <\/p>\n
“We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of our Victory Day,” Mr Peskov told journalists, calling the mock decree a “silly joke”.<\/p>\n
However, the heightened security arrangements suggested Moscow was taking Ukraine’s drone capabilities seriously.<\/p>\n
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire intended to prevent disruption during the commemorations, tensions between Moscow and Kyiv remained high.<\/p>\n
![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/red-square.jpg\")
Red Square is usually used as a platform for Mr Putin to demonstrate military might<\/p>\n
| <\/p>\n
REUTERS<\/p>\n
Donald Trump announced on Friday that both nations had agreed to a pause in hostilities from Saturday to Monday, coupled with a prisoner exchange, suggesting this could represent the “beginning of the end” of the conflict.<\/p>\n
Russia had declared its own unilateral truce covering Friday and Saturday, while Ukraine proposed a separate ceasefire starting May 6. <\/p>\n
Both sides accused the other of violating the terms through continued attacks.<\/p>\n
Moscow issued stark warnings ahead of the parade, threatening a “massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv” should Ukraine attempt any disruption. <\/p>\n
The Russian Defence Ministry urged civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to evacuate the Ukrainian capital promptly.<\/p>\n
The EU responded that its diplomats would remain in Kyiv despite these threats.<\/p>\n
As troops prepared to march across Red Square, authorities imposed restrictions on mobile internet access and text messaging services throughout Moscow, citing public safety requirements.<\/p>\n
Regional Victory Day parades across Russia were similarly affected, with many scaled back or cancelled entirely due to security concerns.<\/p>\n
The precautions reflect Ukraine’s significantly enhanced strike capabilities since the conflict began. <\/p>\n
Kyiv has developed drones capable of hitting targets more than 600 miles inside Russian territory, enabling attacks on energy infrastructure, manufacturing facilities and military supply depots.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin has progressively tightened internet censorship and expanded controls over online activity, measures that have prompted growing discontent among the population.<\/p>\n
Russia’s military continues to make gradual advances along the 600-mile front line, though Ukraine’s long-range strikes have inflicted considerable damage behind Russian lines. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vladimir Putin oversaw a muted Victory Day parade in Red Square today amid concerns Ukrainian drone strike threats…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":948287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7654],"tags":[2000,299,12,332,657,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-948286","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ukraine","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-russia","12":"tag-ukraine","13":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116544649762192313","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=948286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/948287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=948286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=948286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=948286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}