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Kremlin Revokes Foreign Press Access to Victory Day Parade, Citing Drone Threats
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Russia has revoked foreign journalists’ access to the traditional May 9 Victory Day military parade on Red Square, citing security concerns linked to Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Moscow, Der Spiegel reported on May 8.
The Kremlin informed Germany’s dpa news agency that only a limited number of Russian outlets would retain access to the parade grounds. Russia’s presidential administration had previously confirmed accreditation for foreign journalists and circulated a written schedule for the event, only to reverse the decision.
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The parade is also expected to take place without any display of military equipment for the first time since 2007. Moscow attributed the cancellation of the hardware showcase to the “operational situation,” a phrase consistent with previous Kremlin references to the threat posed by Ukrainian long-range strikes.
Officials pointed to the strained security environment in the capital, where Ukrainian drones have repeatedly reached targets in recent weeks. Earlier this week, Russian authorities said a drone struck a residential high-rise in Moscow.
The restrictions mark a sharp reversal from the 2025 80th-anniversary parade, when international media were admitted to Red Square. Russia traditionally marks May 9 with a parade commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The event remains one of the most politically charged dates on the Kremlin’s calendar and a centerpiece of state wartime messaging.
The new limits underscore how Ukrainian long-range drone strikes have forced Moscow to scale back and securitize one of the Russian leadership’s most important public displays of military power.
Kyiv has expanded its long-range drone campaign against Russian territory in recent months, with strikes reaching deeper into the country and increasingly into the capital. The pattern has prompted tighter security around major public gatherings and politically sensitive commemorations.
Those preparations now extend to Moscow’s communications infrastructure. Russian authorities are preparing broad restrictions on mobile communications across the capital ahead of the May 9 parade, recent reports show.
The restrictions are expected on May 5, 7, and 9 and may affect mobile internet, SMS services, and some whitelisted platforms that are normally left accessible during outages.
The shutdown may cover the full area inside Moscow’s ring road, expanding beyond the localized mobile internet blackout previously imposed near the Kremlin. That earlier restriction lasted nearly three weeks and was reportedly linked to security preparations around the parade.
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