Russia marked the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany with a Victory Day parade in Moscow Tuesday, but the event lacked the pageantry of previous years.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has tied up vast amounts of resources, from manpower to ammunition to military vehicles, leaving little behind for this year’s Victory Day parade. In lieu of the standard fighter jet flyover and rows of modern tanks parading through the streets, Tuesday’s celebration featured just a single World War 2-era T-34 tank.
The only Russian tank present at today’s Victory Day parade in Moscow was a single T-34. pic.twitter.com/o15e38W2Vh
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 9, 2023
The Kremlin also marked the 78th anniversary of defeating the Nazis by bombarding Kyiv with missile strikes, although most were shot down and no casualties were reported, according to Ukrainian officials.
Victory Day is considered Russia’s most important holiday under President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters. Soldiers marched through Red Square followed by armored vehicles Tuesday as a band played and missiles were displayed.
Putin kicked off the event with a fiery speech, in which he claimed that the West had “unleashed” a war against his homeland and that society is at a “turning point.” (RELATED: Fed Chair Jerome Powell Allegedly Falls For Russian Prank Call)
Putin has compared his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany, alleging that he is seeking to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, whose president is Jewish. Tensions have flared between Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, in recent days as ammunition shortages prevent the paramilitary organization from completing its capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.