Russia Strips Tanks From May 9 Victory Day Parade for First Time Since Ukraine Invasion

Russia will hold its annual May 9 Victory Day  parade in Moscow without the traditional display of armored vehicles, marking a notable departure from past celebrations, the Russian Defense Ministry said on April 28.

According to the announcement, the parade on Red Square will feature only marching units, with no mechanized column participating this year.

Officials cited the “current operational situation” as the reason for the scaled-back format, without providing further details.

The decision makes this the first Victory Day parade since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022 to exclude military hardware from the procession, according to the BBC.

Who will take part—and who will not

The marching formation will include personnel from higher military educational institutions representing various branches of the armed forces.

However, cadets from Suvorov and Nakhimov military schools, as well as other cadet corps, have been excluded. The mechanized column—typically a central feature of the event—will also be absent, the BBC wrote.

Frontline footage instead of hardware

In place of the usual display of tanks and armored vehicles, organizers plan to showcase footage of Russian troops engaged in combat operations in Ukraine, along with personnel serving in the Strategic Rocket Forces, Aerospace Forces, and Navy.

The aerial segment of the parade will still go ahead. According to the Defense Ministry, aerobatic teams are scheduled to fly over Red Square, with Su-25 attack aircraft expected to “paint the sky” in the colors of the Russian flag at the conclusion of the event.

In recent years, the aviation portion has occasionally been canceled due to weather conditions, though when it proceeded, it typically featured a larger number of aircraft than currently announced for 2026.

Victory Day on May 9 remains one of the Kremlin’s most prominent state events, traditionally used to showcase military power and reinforce wartime narratives.

Previously, during the past years’ military parade, for the first time, Russia unveiled a column of unmanned military vehicles used in strikes on Ukraine. Drones displayed included the “Orlan,” Zala, “Lancet,” “Harpia,” and “Geran” (Shahed).

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