Putin Voices Victory Confidence at Scaled-Down Victory Day Parade in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday expressed confidence in victory in Ukraine while overseeing a military parade on Red Square to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The display omitted heavy weapons for the first time in nearly two decades.

Security remained tight in Moscow as Putin and several foreign leaders attended the reduced-scale parade. A U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire had eased fears of Ukrainian disruptions.

Putin, in power for more than a quarter-century, has leveraged Victory Day, Russia's premier secular holiday, to display military strength and build backing for the operation in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.

At the parade, Putin praised troops in Ukraine. They face "an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire bloc of NATO," he said, and fight for a "just cause."

"Victory has always been and will be ours," Putin added as troops assembled on Red Square. "The key to success is our moral strength, courage and valor, our unity and ability to endure anything and overcome any challenge."

This year marked a shift: no tanks, missiles or other heavy gear appeared, except a traditional jet flyover. Officials cited the "current operational situation" for the format change and noted extra security against Ukrainian threats. State TV said the weapons served better on the Ukraine battlefield.

Saturday's parade included North Korean troops for the first time, honoring Pyongyang's dispatch of soldiers to help repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced one starting May 6. Neither held as both sides blamed each other for ongoing strikes.

President Trump announced Friday that Russia and Ukraine agreed to his requested ceasefire from Saturday through Monday plus a prisoner exchange. He called it potentially the "beginning of the end" of the war.

Zelenskyy, who earlier said Russian authorities "fear drones may buzz over Red Square" on May 9, responded to Trump with a decree mockingly allowing Russia's Victory Day on Saturday and barring Ukrainian strikes on Red Square.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelenskyy's decree as a "silly joke." "We don't need anyone's permission to be proud of our Victory Day," he told reporters.

Russia's larger, better-equipped forces have advanced slowly along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. Ukraine countered with long-range strikes on Russian energy sites, factories and depots using drones that reach over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) into Russia, beyond pre-2022 range.

Russian officials warned of a "massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv" if Ukraine targeted the festivities. The Defense Ministry urged Kyiv civilians and foreign diplomats to leave promptly. The EU said its staff would stay despite the threats.

Putin has used Victory Day to stoke national pride and assert Russia's global role. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in 1941-45 during what it terms the Great Patriotic War, a sacrifice that scarred the national psyche and unites a divided history.

"We celebrate it with feelings of pride and love for our country, with understanding of our shared duty to defend the interests and future of our Motherland," Putin said.

"Our soldiers suffered colossal losses, made a colossal sacrifice in the name of freedom and dignity of the peoples of Europe, became the embodiment of courage and nobility, fortitude and humanity, and crowned themselves with the great glory of a grandiose victory."

Red Square parades have featured heavy weapons, from armored vehicles to nuclear-capable missiles, every year since 2008. Smaller events elsewhere faced cuts or cancellations for security.

Authorities restricted mobile internet and texting in Moscow on Saturday for public safety. The government has ramped up online controls, prompting some public grumbling.

Attendees included Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin but skipped the parade. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the trip, saying, "I deeply regret this, and we will discuss his visit to Moscow with him."

In Kremlin talks with Putin, Fico decried a new "Iron Curtain" in Europe blocking trade and stressed Russia's energy role for Slovakia. Putin praised Fico's "sovereign" policy and respect for Red Army sacrifices.