RED SQUARE, MOSCOW. Military parade celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of victory in World War II.
Date 9 May 2005 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Source: Kremlin.ru
Author ITAR-TASS, from the website of the President of the Russian Federation and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

The Atlantic Council analyzes the implications of how the Kremlin’s May 9th parade reveals Putin’s deeply weakening military posture.  Excerpt:

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists his invasion of Ukraine is going according to plan, but indications that all is not well are becoming increasingly difficult to disguise. While his army struggles to advance in Ukraine amid catastrophic casualties, the Ukrainians are bombing high-value targets deep inside Russia with alarming regularity. Concerns over the security of next week’s Victory Day parade in Moscow are now threatening to further embarrass the Kremlin dictator and reveal the reality behind his boasts of Russian military success.

For Putin, the annual Victory Day parade is no mere formality; it is the main event on the Kremlin calendar. …

During the Soviet era, Victory Day had not been the leading public holiday, with only four parades held between 1945 and 1991. Since the start of Putin’s reign, however, Victory Day has been elevated in status to the level of pseudo-religion, complete with its own saints, symbols, dogmas, and heretics. Indeed, it is no coincidence that enemies of the Kremlin are routinely branded as “Nazis.”

The Victory Day military parade on Red Square is the centerpiece of this entire approach. It has traditionally served as an opportunity for Russia to demonstrate its military might to the watching world, with Putin himself presiding over proceedings as the all-powerful ruler of a great nation.

Since 2022, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has cast a long shadow over this spectacle. With Russia needing all available armor to replace heavy combat losses in Ukraine, finding enough vehicles for the parade has become increasingly challenging. In 2023, the Kremlin could only muster a single tank, sparking widespread mockery. “There are farmers in Ukraine with more Russian tanks than that,” quipped one internet wag.

This year’s parade is shaping up to be even more awkward.

Slava Ukraine!