Putin’s victory parade features just one tank
Soldiers carry devices to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks as Russian leader talks up military power
A SOLITARY Soviet tank led Vladimir Putin’s victory day celebrations in Moscow as soldiers patrolled with antidrone guns amid fears of Ukrainian attacks.
The Soviet T-34 was the only tank passing through the streets in the event marking victory over Nazi Germany 79 years ago, as was the case last year.
Analysts said it was a further sign that Russian armoured supplies have been severely degraded since the start of the war. At least 20 tanks took part in the pre-war 2020 victory parade.
However, the procession did feature a number of foreign tanks apparently captured from Ukrainian forces, with some bearing British, American and Czech flags.
Some soldiers were carrying devices that appeared to be hand-held drone signal jammers, potentially an attempt to ward off any attacks by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.
Kyiv’s drone fleet has proven capable of striking targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow.
Sitting in the front row along with Putin were a number of his close allies, including Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the president of Turkmenistan and Aleksandr Lukashenko, the president of Belarus. Mr Lukashenko was joined by his white Pomeranian, Umka, named after a Soviet poem.
The leaders of Cuba, Laos and Guinea-bissau also turned up – but not Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister, who snubbed the event, despite being in Moscow on Wednesday evening for a regional summit.
There was an unseasonal flurry of spring snow during the parade, adding a chilly atmosphere to an event shunned by Western leaders since the February 2022 invasion.
In sub-zero temperatures, a unit of female soldiers were dressed in white skirts, gold belts and black boots.
Unusually for military uniforms, they wore their skirts several inches above the knee.
They gave beaming salutes to the Russian president as they marched through Red Square.
Troops from the Central African Republic, where a large presence of Wagner mercenaries is building up Moscow’s influence, also took part in the parade – the second since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
They wore red berets and white boots, marching past in two six-man columns.
The Wagner group has been expanding its presence across the African continent where it is accused of committing human rights abuses.
Its most recent deployments have focused on Mali, Niger and Burkina
Faso, three states which have also recently seen military coups.
In a speech to the lines of soldiers and dignitaries, Putin said that the “future of the motherland depends on us”.
“Today on victory day we are conscious of that even more acutely,” he added before making a threat about nuclear weapons.
“Our strategic forces are always combat ready,” he said.
The Kremlin is planning to hold weapons tests simulating the deployment of tactical, short-range nuclear weapons in southern Russia.
Putin addressed concerns over the trials in comments to state broadcasters after the parade.
“There is nothing unusual here, this is planned work,” the 71-year-old leader said. “It is training.”
The Russian president ended his Victory Day speech with the clarion call, “For Russia! For victory! Hurrah,” prompting cheers from thousands of soldiers.
He included a brief reference to the war in Ukraine, in which he characterised those fighting there as “heroes”, comparing them to veterans of the Second World War.
About 27 million Soviet people are said to have been killed in the war against Nazi Germany, though experts believe the true figure could be much higher.
Since February 2022, Putin has made constant parallels between the Second World War – known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia – and the campaign in Ukraine, claiming that Russian troops are fighting against “neo-nazis”.
Later in his address, Putin said he would not allow “anyone” to threaten Russia, in a clear reference to the West, though he stopped short of the rhetoric of nuclear Armageddon he has used on other occasions since the start of the war.
He said: “Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash. But at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness.”
‘We will not allow anyone to threaten us, our strategic combat forces are always in a state of readiness’