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Russia Holds Most Scaled-Back Victory Parade in Years

Putin presided over the pared-down ceremony as Russia cited Ukrainian attack risks and kept heavy weapons off Red Square for the first time in nearly two decades.

  • On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the 81st Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square, claiming Russian soldiers in Ukraine face an "aggressive force" backed by NATO and describing his war goals as "just."
  • Recent Ukrainian long-range attacks prompted the Kremlin to scale back this year's celebrations, displaying no military hardware for the first time in two decades while limiting foreign dignitary attendance to Russia's close allies.
  • United States President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire starting Friday, accompanied by a prisoner exchange; North Korean soldiers participated in the parade for the first time.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered his military to avoid attacking the parade, stating "Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home."
  • Now in its fifth year, the war has killed hundreds of thousands, spiraling into Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two, as U.S.-mediated talks have shown little progress since February when Washington shifted focus to Iran.
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Center

Putin repeated a speech in Moscow that has been heard since the beginning of the war of aggression, says Sinikukka Saari, senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of Foreign Policy.

·Finland
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Center

A military parade in Moscow commemorated the Soviet Union's victory over the Nazi regime 81 years ago. Groups of soldiers from various branches of the Russian army presented themselves on Red Square, as shown in images from the TASS news agency. President Putin watched the parade from a grandstand.

·Germany
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The National Interest broke the news in Washington, United States on Saturday, May 2, 2026.
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