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For the First Time, Russia Unveils Shahed, Lancet, and Other Drones Targeting Ukraine at Moscow Victory Day Parade

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Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
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For the First Time, Russia Unveils Shahed, Lancet, and Other Drones Targeting Ukraine at Moscow Victory Day Parade
For the first time at Moscow's Victory Day parade, Russia unveiled a column of unmanned military vehicles used in strikes on Ukraine. Drones displayed included the "Orlan," Zala, "Lancet," "Harpia," and "Geran" (Shahed). (Source: Russian media)

For the first time at Moscow's Victory Day parade, Russia unveiled a column of unmanned military vehicles used in strikes on Ukraine. Drones displayed included the "Orlan," Zala, "Lancet," "Harpia," and "Geran" (Shahed), according to Radio Free Europe's Russian service on May 9.

The Orlan is used for reconnaissance and targeting, while the Zala drones focus on surveillance and precision attacks. The Lancet is a suicide drone designed for direct strikes, and the Harpia likely serves similar reconnaissance and attack roles. The Geran, a copy of Iran’s Shahed-136, has been heavily used to target Ukraine’s infrastructure. These drones allow Russia to carry out long-range, low-risk operations, although they’ve also caused significant civilian damage and casualties.

For the first time at Moscow's Victory Day parade, Russia unveiled a column of unmanned military vehicles used in strikes on Ukraine. Drones displayed included the "Orlan," Zala, "Lancet," "Harpia," and "Geran" (Shahed). (Source: Russian media)
For the first time at Moscow's Victory Day parade, Russia unveiled a column of unmanned military vehicles used in strikes on Ukraine. Drones displayed included the "Orlan," Zala, "Lancet," "Harpia," and "Geran" (Shahed). (Source: Russian media)

Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and over two dozen other foreign leaders watched as the drones, mounted on trucks, were paraded across the square alongside other military equipment, according to Radio Free Europe.

More than 10,000 Russian soldiers participated in the parade, along with military contingents from several other Kremlin-aligned nations. Parade units from 13 countries, including China, Vietnam, Egypt, Mongolia, and Myanmar, marched across the square.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that 29 world leaders had confirmed their attendance at the Moscow celebrations, though some canceled at the last minute. Among those present were Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Cuban President Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Earlier, Russian forces carried out airstrikes on the Bilopillia community in Ukraine’s Sumy region, despite Moscow’s claim of a temporary “ceasefire,” according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service on May 8.

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