Security-heavy Moscow parade highlights cracks in Putin’s wartime image
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on May 9, 2026. (Photo: Sputnik/Valery Sharifulin/Pool via REUTERS)
Russia’s scaled-back Victory Day celebration on Red Square,
held under heavy security, underscored that Moscow and other Russian cities can
no longer be shielded from the war, NYT
wrote, saying the smaller May 9 parade highlighted Russian dictator Vladimir
Putin’s growing vulnerability.
Putin has turned the annual May 9 parade into a cornerstone of Russia’s patriotic ritual. This year, however, the parade marked a moment of weakness for the Russian dictator.
Moscow tightened security as Ukraine continues to strike Russia with drones and long-range missiles. The Kremlin appeared to expose its vulnerability by acknowledging that the security measures were focused on protecting Putin.
The parade, which ended after about 45 minutes, featured no missiles or armored vehicles, NYT noted.
Internet shutdowns, which Russian security services framed as necessary precautions, angered Russians. The country’s economic problems are deepening, and Russia’s budget deficit has reached record levels. On the battlefield, Russia’s occupying army is barely moving, the author wrote. More than four years into the full-scale war, Moscow is still trying to seize Donbas.
The article also cited Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, who said that “there has been a certain shift since the beginning of the year.” That shift, she said, is that “in private conversations and, to a lesser extent, publicly, people are saying everyone is tired of it.”
She also said the security measures reflected the Kremlin’s sense of vulnerability.
Canceling the parade, however, would have weakened Putin’s position even further, NYT wrote.
Still, Stanovaya warned that Putin could decide at any moment to escalate the war, including through another round of forced mobilization or the seizure of assets to finance the army.
Moscow held its Victory Day parade on May 9 — the first in recent years without military equipment. It lasted 45 minutes, making it the shortest parade in modern Russian history.
The celebration was accompanied by widespread internet shutdowns in central Moscow. Only a limited number of foreign guests attended.
Dictator Vladimir Putin, speaking on Red Square, claimed “victories” in the war in Ukraine despite successful Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia and a slowdown in Russian advances on the front line.
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