Russia Holds Scaled-Back Victory Day Parade — No Military Vehicles for First Time Since 2007; Only 2 Foreign Leaders Attend

Russia held its 81st Victory Day parade on May 9 in Moscow's Red Square, but the event was visibly diminished compared to pre-war years. For the first time since 2007, no tanks, armored vehicles, or missile systems were displayed — widely interpreted as evidence that frontline demand for hardware has consumed the display inventory. The parade featured only marching troops and a flyover. Only two foreign leaders attended: Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico and Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko — down from 29 world leaders in 2025 and reflecting Russia's deepening diplomatic isolation. Putin used the occasion to reaffirm Russia's war aims, stating all objectives of the 'special military operation' would be achieved 'by military means' if Ukraine refused a peaceful resolution. The stripped-down parade stood in sharp contrast to pre-war displays of Russian military power and served as an inadvertent signal of the war's toll on Russia's equipment reserves.