Vladimir Putin occupied the central stand on Saturday morning to attend the parade in Red Square, organized on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, as the Russians call the Second World War.
According to tradition, before the parade began, the Kremlin leader delivered a speech congratulating the Russian people on the holiday, recalling the heroic deeds of their ancestors, and observing a moment of silence in memory of the fallen.
Russian scientists and engineers are creating advanced and unique weapon models and starting their mass production, announced President Putin.
"Alongside Russian soldiers are workers and designers, engineers, scientists, inventors. They continue the traditions of their predecessors. Relying on modern combat experience, they create advanced and unique weapon models. They develop their mass production," emphasized the Kremlin leader in his speech.
"We will always remember the feat of the Soviet people - the fact that they made a decisive contribution to defeating Nazism, saved their country, saved the world, put an end to total and ruthless evil, restored the sovereignty of those states that capitulated to Hitler's Germany, turning into its complicit subjects of its crimes," said Putin in his speech published on the Kremlin's website.
"The Nazis attacked the Soviet Union from behind, planning to conquer the country and its rich resources, complete destruction of our culture, our historical heritage, and ultimately the extermination, subjugation, and genocide of the entire multinational Soviet people - meaning all the peoples, nations, and ethnicities of the Soviet Union.
For the realization of these criminal purposes, forces were gathered from all over Europe.
It would seem that the Nazi strategists calculated everything meticulously. Except for one thing - what is called the Russian character and the spirit of the Soviet people. These qualities manifest with extraordinary power in the most difficult moments for the Motherland.
Our people stood up like a wall in the enemy's path and showed that devotion to the Motherland is the highest righteousness, capable of uniting millions of people," affirmed the Kremlin leader before linking to the present:
"The great achievement of the victorious generation inspires the soldiers carrying out today's special military operations. They oppose an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.
And despite this, our heroes move forward."
The most restricted Victory Day parade in recent years
The May 9 parade in Red Square marks Russia's most revered national holiday - a moment to celebrate the USSR's victory over Nazi Germany and to honor the 27 million Soviet citizens, including many from Ukraine, who perished.
Once an opportunity to showcase Russia's vast military, including intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear capability, this year's parade will not feature tanks or other military equipment rolling on the cobblestones of Red Square.
The 2026 parade is taking place in a reduced format. Suvorov and Nahimov cadets, as well as the military vehicle convoy, will not participate in the event due to the operational situation. The parade will conclude with an air show, according to TASS.
As previously mentioned by Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's press secretary, this year's event is not a celebration.
"The anniversary was last year, and it was a large-scale parade," he stated. "This time, it will be a somewhat reduced parade. Of course, it is reduced due to the current situation. Of course, the most important thing is safety, the safety of people, the safety of the city's residents," explained the Kremlin's spokesperson.
According to Reuters, Russia is organizing the most restricted Victory Day parade in recent years on Saturday, due to the threat of an attack from Ukraine, where Moscow's forces have found it difficult to achieve victory after over four years since the start of the bloodiest European conflict since World War II.
Just 21 years ago, Putin stood next to American President George W. Bush at the Moscow parade, alongside Jacques Chirac of France and Chinese President Hu Jintao. This year, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Sultan Ibrahim of Malaysia, and Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith will participate.