On April 29, Russia’s Defense Ministry said this year’s parade would not feature military equipment, cadets from the Suvorov and Nakhimov military schools, or members of Russian cadet corps due to the “current operational situation.”
The Institute for the Study of War said 2026 would be the first year since 2007 that Russia’s annual parade does not include military hardware.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the parade would be held in a “reduced format” to minimize the risk of possible Ukrainian strikes.
Russian military bloggers and opposition sources said the Kremlin has not yet begun parade rehearsals, despite the usual two-week period for preparations already underway.
The Russian service of the BBC reported that while at least 40 Russian cities plan to hold traditional parades, at least 10 cities and eight oblasts intend to scale back or cancel parades and other events, including fireworks and the Immortal Regiment march commemorating Soviet soldiers killed in World War II.
The Institute for the Study of War noted that the Kremlin held relatively scaled-down parades in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, however, Moscow used the event to project “Russia’s strength and global power status” and portray Vladimir Putin as a “respected global leader.”
Analysts said the 2025 parade also aimed to mask the scale of Russia’s military setbacks in Ukraine, including its inability to achieve operationally significant gains beyond Kursk Oblast and heavy losses in its forces.
They said the Kremlin is likely to use this year’s parade to present Putin as an “effective wartime leader” and promote claims of success on the battlefield.
This is especially likely given rising criticism and dissatisfaction with Putin and the Kremlin inside Russia since the start of 2026, the analysts added.
On April 29, the Kremlin reiterated that the May 9 parade would take place in a “reduced format” due to what it called a terrorist threat and because the date does not mark an anniversary year.
In 2025, 29 foreign leaders attended the May 9 celebrations in Moscow, including Robert Fico, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Tô Lâm.