Al Jazeera reports: May 9 is a venerated date on the Russian calendar. The anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II is usually commemorated with a grand military parade outside the Kremlin, on Moscow’s Red Square.“For modern Russia, it’s the main holiday of the year,” said Oleg Ignatov, senior Russia analyst at Crisis Group. “There are two main holidays in Russia, the ninth of May and the New Year.
And if you asked Russians, what is the main holiday, I think they would answer you that it’s the ninth of May.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Photos: North Korea opens museum for troops killed fighting for Russialist 2 of 4What is the Ukrainian anti-drone system Sky Map being used in the Gulf?list 3 of 4Armenia hosts major EU summits in pivot away from Russialist 4 of 4Ukraine, Russia exchange drone strikes ahead of V-Day ‘ceasefire’end of listThis year, however, for the first time in nearly 20 years, there will be no tanks, missiles or junior cadets in the parade. A recent spate of drone attacks on the oil refinery in Tuapse, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, has caused an ecological catastrophe and prompted the evacuation of the town.
Background
Advertisement “Drones are indeed the primary means to attack Russia’s territory,” explained Olha Polishchuk, research manager for Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus at Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). “It is a multilayered system located both around and inside the city. In the past, authorities have shut down cellular networks in Moscow to complicate drone navigation.“Ukraine very rarely attacks Moscow because the air defence would require a very large swarm of drones for any attack to land, but also because there are plenty of other strategically relevant targets that do not carry such a high risk of civilian casualties.”Nevertheless, the Victory Day ceremonies present a clear risk.
Key facts
- May 9 is a venerated date on the Russian calendar.
- “There are two main holidays in Russia, the ninth of May and the New Year.
- A recent spate of drone attacks on the oil refinery in Tuapse, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, has caused an ecological catastrophe and prompted the evacuation of the town.
What this means
Such a concentration of troops and vehicles is vulnerable not only on the day of the parade itself but before and after, too: after all, that hardware must be stored somewhere.“Of course, they care about drones which can fly from Ukraine, but most of these drones are being intercepted,” Crisis Group’s Ignatov told Al Jazeera. “They are more afraid of groups of people using small drones which are delivered to Russia, and used against targets inside Russia, like in Operation Spiderweb [in 2025] … Even if one or a couple of small drones hit a military parade, it may not cause a casualty, but it will have a demonstrative and psychological effect.
But when the USSR collapsed in December 1991, the parades were shelved for nearly two decades until they were revived by President Vladimir Putin in 2008. Advertisement Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, the Victory Day parade has been scaled back again. Only a solitary Soviet-era T-34 tank symbolically rolled across Red Square in 2024, although other types of vehicles, such as armoured personnel carriers and mobile missile launchers, were present.Last year’s proceedings, however, packed a little more pomp.
Originally reported by Al Jazeera. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
