Red Square Victory Day Parade 2012 courtesy of Wikimedia 
Author Presidential Press and Information Office
from the website of the President of the Russian Federation, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

The New York Times reports “A Less Muscular Victory Day Parade Shows Putin’s Growing Vulnerability.”  Excerpt:

President Vladimir V. Putin has cultivated the annual Victory Day parade commemorating the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany into a cornerstone of Russian patriotic ritual. Tanks and nuclear launchers roll across Red Square in a showcase of military prowess and righteous pride that the Kremlin has used to justify the country’s great-power posture toward the West.

This year, the parade highlighted a moment of weakness for Mr. Putin.

Moscow is under a heavy security presence as Ukraine rattles Russia with long-range drone and missile strikes. The Russian authorities have appeared exposed as they acknowledged that the beefed-up security was intended to protect Mr. Putin.

The parade on Saturday included none of the usual muscle-flexing missiles and armor. Personnel from Russian military academies and other servicemen made their way through Russia’s most famous square.

…

The truncated parade, on what is the high point of the Russian calendar, added to a sense that Moscow and other major Russian cities could no longer be insulated from the war.

Drastic internet blackouts that the security services have portrayed as necessary precautions have angered Russians. After years of war-infused growth, the Russian economy is contracting, while the country’s budget deficit is reaching record highs.

On the front lines, the Russian Army is barely moving, making the prospect of victory seem more distant than ever. More than four years into the war, Russia is still trying to seize the eastern Donbas region, which it says is a primary objective. In World War II, the Soviets helped defeat the Nazis in less time.

…

“Everything that’s happening today from the point of view of security is a consequence of the fact that the government feels vulnerable,” Ms. Stanovaya added in a phone interview. “It is actually strange that he is holding the parade in such a situation.”

Slava Ukraine!