Vladimir Putin presided over a dramatically scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on Saturday, as new fears of Ukrainian drone strikes prompted unprecedented security measures. The Russian leader used his speech to claim confidence in Russia's triumphs, stating, 'Victory has always been and will be ours,' but the event lacked the heavy military hardware that has been a hallmark of past celebrations.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the parade went ahead without any showy armoured vehicles or nuclear-capable missiles, amid concerns about long-range Ukrainian drone attacks hitting deep inside Russia. Security was tightened across Moscow, with checkpoints, snipers and machine-gun crews deployed, while internet shutdowns and state-monitored social media channels were reported.
A leaked European intelligence report claims that Putin's increasing paranoia over his personal safety has led him to spend weeks in underground bunkers, screening staff and banning cell phones for personal cooks and bodyguards. This follows the assassination of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov in December 2025, who was killed by a car bomb in Moscow.
Jaroslava Barbieri, a research fellow at Chatham House, said: 'That’s how dictators usually end up feeling when they feel like power is slipping away. There is an interesting dynamic there, with the slipping image of Russia as a military superpower and the slipping image of Putin as a strong man.' She noted that Putin's approval ratings have dropped for seven consecutive weeks, according to state-owned polling institution VTsIOM.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree 'permitting' Russia to hold the parade and said his forces would not target Red Square, after Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire. Zelensky has been unequivocal about Ukraine's 'victory plan' to hit targets deep within Russia, aided by a new €90bn loan from the EU.
