Victory Day on May 9 is Russia’s most important secular holiday. The Kremlin uses the spectacle to stoke patriotism and underscore Moscow’s claim to great‑power status as its war in neighboring Ukraine grinds through a fourth year.
“The courage and resolve of our soldiers bring us victory, as they always have,” Putin told troops in a speech praising Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War of 1941‑1945, a shared memory that the Kremlin invokes to foster unity across political divides.
Xi and Lula watched from the VIP stand, signaling the deepening ties Moscow has forged to counter Western sanctions and arms supplies to Kyiv.
Putin was due to hold separate talks with both leaders during the celebrations.
Drone alarms and flight chaos
The festivities were overshadowed by a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks that forced Moscow airports to close intermittently this week.
Flag carrier Aeroflot cancelled more than 100 flights and delayed over 140 on Wednesday as air defenses intercepted drones heading for the capital.
Authorities deployed electronic jamming that knocked out mobile internet signals in parts of the city and tightened security around the parade route.
Ceasefire—but fighting rages
Putin declared a unilateral 72‑hour ceasefire starting Wednesday to coincide with the holiday but warned Russian troops would respond to any attack.
Moscow has rejected a 30‑day US‑backed truce accepted by Kyiv, insisting it must be linked to a halt in Western arms deliveries and Ukrainian mobilization—conditions Ukraine and its allies dismiss.
Kyiv reported fresh Russian strikes on Friday that killed at least two civilians in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
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Source: Associated Press, PAP, Sky News