Russia, and the Soviet Union before that, has held its annual Victory Day parade every year since 1945. The day, on May 9th every year, celebrates the victory of the Allies over Germany in World War II, and Russia has cause to take note of it; it lost millions of people in that conflict. Now, the aftermath - the Iron Curtain, the Cold War, Eastern Europe under the boot of communism for decades - those were, to put it mildly, unfortunate, but that's a topic for another story.
Russia's Victory Day parades have always been substantial, with lots of Russian military hardware parading through Red Square: Tanks, trucks, tanks, artillery pieces, tanks, missile launchers, tanks, and more tanks. These aren't modest affairs, or at least, they weren't. This year, for the first time in over two decades, Russia will be holding their Victory Day parade with no military hardware, just marching troops.
Russia’s traditional parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II will take place next week without tanks, missiles and other military equipment, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
It will be the first time in nearly two decades — and in Russia’s 4-year-old war in Ukraine — that no military equipment will rumble through Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, the day Russia celebrates its most important secular holiday. The Kremlin has used it to showcase its military might and global clout, and it is a source of patriotic pride.
Victory Day parades on Red Square have involved military equipment and various weaponry every year since 2008. Smaller parades are held elsewhere across the country, including in cities like St. Petersburg.
The ministry cited the “current operational situation” as a reason for excluding military equipment, as well as cadets, from this year’s parade on the 81st anniversary of the victory. Ukraine has launched drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter Moscow’s more than 4-year-old invasion.
In other words, too much of Russia's hardware is tied up in Ukraine; they can't spare any for a parade. To put it bluntly, militarily, Russia can no longer pass gas and chew gum at the same time.
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So, who will be marching this Victory Day?
The parade will feature “servicemen from higher military educational institutions of all kinds and certain service branches of the Russian Armed Forces” and a traditional military aircraft flyover, the ministry said.
So, cadets, some soldiers, some people from Russia's equivalent of our higher officers' schools. No active combat troops, it seems. At least they still have their flyovers.
Consider what this means for Russia's military posture. Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, as a follow-on to their successful seizure of Crimea in 2014. Since then, Russia has been pouring men and equipment into Ukraine, and for quite some time now, the lines just haven't moved much. This thing has deteriorated into a high-tech version of the Great War, with some high-tech, long-range drone and missile attacks thrown in. It has been over four years now, and Russia hasn't been able to swallow up smaller, lower-population Ukraine, despite pouring resources into the conflict to the point where the "current operational situation" precludes them from sparing a few tanks and trucks for their Victory Day parade. Russia is fighting hard, but it sure seems like Ukraine is fighting smarter, and Russia is, to put it bluntly, stalled. Granted, Ukraine is stalled as well; it's not as though they can invade Russia. But they can sure bleed Russia until the minions of Tsar Vladimir Putin decide that, finally, enough is enough.
Ukraine may have to give up what Russia holds now. But they have managed to bring one of the world's top three superpowers to a standstill, and that's not nothing.
I've been saying, and writing, for some time now that Russia is a dying giant. This is yet another sign of just that.
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