Celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany began in Moscow on Saturday morning. A traditional military parade started on Red Square, which this year is significantly more modest than in previous years.
According to Russian and foreign media, for the first time in almost two decades, the majority of heavy military equipment will not appear on it. The reason is supposed to be security concerns after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks deep in Russian territory.
However, attention will not only be focused on Vladimir Putin, but also on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. So far, he is the only confirmed leader from the European Union who will personally participate in the celebrations in Moscow. While several foreign guests appeared in the Russian capital last year, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, this year Fico finds himself in a much narrower group of guests alongside authoritative leaders and representatives of separatist regions supported by Russia.
At the same time, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a three-day truce for the celebration period, which was also called for by US President Donald Trump. Nevertheless, the atmosphere in Moscow remains tense. The celebrations are accompanied by extraordinary security measures, and the Russian authorities have completely canceled military parades in some regions.
ONLINE:
10:19 – An interesting feature of this year’s parade is the first ever participation of North Korean soldiers in the May 9 celebrations in Moscow. During the broadcast, Russian state television describes them as soldiers who significantly help in the fight against “neo-Nazi invaders” in Russia’s Kursk region.
During the live broadcast, the commentator highlights the “heroism, courage and sacrifice” of the North Korean troops.
10:13 – Putin welcomes the first foreign leaders, as reported by Reuters, among the first is Prime Minister Fico.
10:09 – The situation before the celebrations in Moscow was extremely tense. In recent days, Russian authorities have repeatedly warned of possible Ukrainian attacks on May 9, and several regions have canceled military parades for security reasons.
However, on Friday evening, US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Shortly thereafter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree temporarily excluding Red Square from plans for Ukrainian attacks during a military parade.
This is a paradoxical moment of the war, when it was Zelensky who allowed Russia to celebrate in Moscow without fear of an attack during the parade itself.
10:00 – During his speech at the May 9 celebrations, Vladimir Putin again linked the war in Ukraine with the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany. According to him, Russian soldiers today are fighting against an “aggressive force supported by the entire NATO bloc”, and he called their goal “just”.
At the same time, Putin declared that the “heroism of the generation of winners” today inspires the soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
