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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Moscow’s muted Victory Day parade may reflect Russia’s struggles

By Ivan Nechepurenko New York Times

The annual Victory Day parade in Moscow has traditionally been a vast spectacle showcasing Russia’s military might, with state-of-the-art tanks rolling in symmetrical formation over the cobblestones of Red Square becoming an iconic image.

This year, however, much was missing. For the first time in years, only one Soviet-era T-34 tank – a symbol of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany – crossed the square Tuesday, leading a much shorter-than-usual line of armored vehicles, air defense systems and intercontinental missile launchers. There were fewer troops marching in carefully choreographed arrangements, and there was no flyover from the air force.

The pared-down parade appeared to reflect Russia’s struggles to equip its troops fighting in Ukraine, especially at a time when Kyiv is making preparations for an expected counteroffensive that would aim to pierce through Moscow’s fortified defensive lines.

It may have also been a response to criticism from some pro-invasion activists and bloggers, who have questioned the necessity of a large-scale symbolic demonstration of military equipment at a time when many Russian military divisions lack necessary weapons and supplies.

Officials across Russia also scaled back annual celebrations of the country’s most important national holiday, with more than 20 cities forgoing military parades and organizers calling off a popular nationwide march to honor veterans. Security concerns were most often cited for the cancellations, but some analysts also suggested that the unease had as much to do with fears about domestic disturbances.

A year ago, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was already raging, Red Square was nonetheless humming with the sounds of the engines of advanced tanks, together with rocket launchers and artillery systems that had been used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

This year, though, there were only a few dozen pieces of equipment, and the part of the procession that featured armored vehicles appeared to be around half as long as it was in 2022. The overall live footage of the parade was also shorter than in the previous years and it wasn’t shot from the air, because drones were prohibited from flying over Moscow after a recent apparent attack on President Vladimir Putin’s office building at the Kremlin last week.

The annual air show was canceled altogether this year, with no explanation given. It was also canceled last year, ostensibly because of the weather. The parade featured 30 formations of troops, as opposed to 33 last year, and included 530 servicemen who had been fighting in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

For some in Russia that was a relief. Aleksandr Kots, a journalist who writes for the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, said that he was afraid that “people will be pulled from the front lines to take part in the parade.”

“This year, everything was done tactfully,” he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

For others, like Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military company, who has complained of a chronic lack of ammunition supplies for Wagner fighters trying to capture the beleaguered eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the parade was an unnecessary example of showmanship.

“In our country, everyone believes that everything can be done on television, including a Victory Day celebration,” Prigozhin said in a statement on Tuesday. “This was the victory of our fathers and we haven’t deserved it.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.