Putin Showcases Military Might at Victory Day Parade Amid Global Tensions

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square. He was accompanied by North Korean generals and the heads of state from China and Brazil, in an event designed to position Moscow at the forefront of a rising non-Western global order.

The parade featured a showcase of drones reportedly used in the Ukraine conflict, transported on trucks before the stands to the accompaniment of a military band. The event served as a geopolitical moment for Putin, whose standing on the world stage appears bolstered by the favorable disposition toward Russia from former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Despite Trump’s apparent willingness to engage with Putin, no senior American officials attended the Victory Day parade—Russia’s most significant patriotic event of the year. Instead, Putin was joined by over twenty foreign leaders mostly from countries maintaining neutral or adversarial stances toward the West.

Russian state television broadcast moments of Putin sharing light-hearted exchanges with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was seated beside him. Also present were Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić. The only European Union leader in attendance was Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. Cameras later captured Putin greeting North Korean generals, who were adorned in full ceremonial uniforms decorated with numerous medals.

The Kremlin highlighted the presence of numerous foreign dignitaries as evidence of Russia’s global influence despite Western efforts to isolate Moscow following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Trade with China has helped sustain the Russian economy, while North Korean soldiers reportedly assisted Russia in reclaiming territory in its own borders that Ukraine had captured last year.

In his address during the parade, Putin made only brief references to the ongoing war in Ukraine, describing Russia’s involvement as a “just fight” and stating that the entire nation, society, and people support those participating in the “special military operation,” the Kremlin’s official term for the conflict.

Speaking from a grandstand fitted with a large canopy, presumably to guard against drone attacks, Putin drew a connection between Russia’s historic victories and its current conflicts. A regiment of 1,500 Russian soldiers who had taken part in the war marched through the square.

“Our fathers entrusted us with the firm defense of our national interests, our millennia-old history, our culture, and our traditional values,” Putin said, noting that his own father had fought in World War II.

However, three years into the invasion of Ukraine, the military display did not reflect a battlefield record of decisive success for Russia. The Russian armed forces have yet to secure a conclusive victory in Ukraine, achieving only gradual territorial gains in recent months. The Russian economy has also slowed, impacted by falling oil prices and persistently high interest rates as the country seeks to manage inflation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the parade, and North Korean troops did not march in Red Square as many had anticipated. Several North Korean generals observed the event from the stands. At the conclusion of the parade, Putin approached them and was heard saying “thank you,” likely acknowledging North Korea’s role in the Battle of Kursk.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, over 11,500 military personnel took part in the parade. Among them were a regiment of Chinese soldiers and troops from several former Soviet allies aligned with Moscow.

For decades, Russia and former Soviet states have regarded May 9, Victory Day, as a rare unifying commemoration, honoring the roughly 27 million Soviet lives lost during World War II. Yet Putin has deepened divisions by leveraging the 1945 Soviet victory to justify the invasion of Ukraine, where Russian officials falsely claim to be combating “Nazis.”

Strict security measures were implemented across Moscow on Friday. Traffic was blocked throughout the city center, metro stations near the Kremlin were closed, and internet access was intermittent. Many feared that Ukraine might attempt a drone strike on the capital during the parade, especially following a Ukrainian drone attack earlier in the week that forced the closure of Moscow’s four main airports.

This year’s parade was the largest since the start of the Ukraine invasion, according to the Defense Ministry. Over 180 military vehicles—including tanks, howitzers, and missile launchers capable of carrying nuclear warheads—were showcased. Last year’s parade featured only a single Soviet-era tank alongside other military equipment.

The ceremony concluded with a flyover of Russian aircraft.