Russia will celebrate Victory Day today in Moscow.
The centrepiece of celebrations of the USSR’s victory over Nazi Germany will be the annual military parade in Red Square. The parade, honouring the service members in WWII, is also a way for President Putin to demonstrate strength to domestic and foreign audiences. Post-2022 however, the event has been overshadowed by the Ukraine War now in its third year.
The 2023 parade highlighted Russian losses on the battlefield, with a solitary tank rolling through Red Square. This year however, Russia is on the front foot, demonstrated in recent days by an exhibition of captured western tanks in Moscow and an increase in the number of fighting vehicles included in the parade rehearsals. Today’s Putin will look to show that, post-election, he is an immovable and resilient force in Russian politics, and his forces are solid on the battlefield. For western observers, just how many tanks and artillery pieces Putin will include in the parade will truly show the extent of stockpiles and production rates for Russia in 2024.