MOSCOW: Russia will not deploy military hardware in this year’s parade commemorating 81 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

The event, typically marked with a bombastic display of military strength each year, is scheduled for May 9 in Moscow’s Red Square.

Several military schools, cadet corps, “as well as the military hardware column, will not be participating in this year’s military parade due to the current operational situation”, the ministry said on Tuesday.

The parade is expected to include representatives of all branches of the armed forces, however, as well as videos showing servicemen “carrying out tasks in the special military operation zone”, a reference to the war in Ukraine, it said.

Defence ministry says several corps taking part in Ukraine operations won’t participate in parade

An aerial display is also planned.

“During the aviation segment of the parade, aircraft of Russian aerobatic display teams will fly over Red Square, and at the conclusion of the parade, pilots of Su-25 ground attack aircraft will colour the skies of Moscow in the colours of the flag of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.

Last year, more than two dozen world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, were in Moscow to watch a procession of thousands of troops — some of whom fought in Ukraine — and an array of weapons, including new tanks and drones, were deployed to mark the defeat of the Nazis in 1945.

World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, is the central historical narrative of Vladimir Putin’s quarter-century rule.

The former KGB spy has repeatedly invoked victory over Nazi Germany to justify his offensive against Ukraine, branding the “Kyiv regime” as “neo-Nazis” that need to be removed from power.

Kyiv and the West reject that narrative as propaganda and call Russia’s campaign an illegal land grab that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and seen Moscow seize swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine, launched by Moscow in February 2022 has mobilised significant economic resources and has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Diplomatic efforts to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War are at a standstill.

One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in streets with medals on display and is accompanied by an outpouring of emotion marked by feature films, documentaries and wartime music.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2026