President Vladimir Putin oversaw a scaled-back Victory Day parade on Red Square on Saturday to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany. For the first time in nearly two decades, the celebration excluded tanks, missiles, and other heavy weapons, featuring only a traditional flyover of combat jets. The downsized event took place under heavy security in Moscow amid mounting fears of Ukrainian drone attacks and growing public fatigue with the war.
The commemorations coincided with a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to 11, brokered by US President Donald Trump. The agreement, confirmed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country. Trump expressed hope that the truce could be the beginning of the end of the conflict. While both Russia and Ukraine previously accused each other of violating earlier ceasefire proposals, no major strikes were reported by either side on May 9.
During the event, President Putin voiced confidence in a victory in Ukraine and praised the Russian troops, invoking the sacrifices of World War II to rally support. Speaking to reporters, Putin suggested that the matter of the war is coming to an end and stated he was willing to engage in talks with Europeans. The parade occurred as Russia marks more than four years of the deadliest European conflict since World War II, with the Kremlin noting that warnings of retaliation against strikes on the celebration helped spark the ceasefire deal.