Russia Ukraine War Concept / Envato Market

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

MOSCOW (Worthy News) – A tense calm settled over Moscow Sunday after Russia’s annual Victory Day Parade was overshadowed by fears of Ukrainian drone and “terror attacks,” with the Kremlin reportedly increasingly concerned about the security of President Vladimir Putin following a rare strike on the Russian capital.

Ahead of the parade, firefighters and emergency crews rushed to a residential high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighborhood after what authorities described as a Ukrainian drone strike, highlighting growing concerns about security deep inside Russia.

Amid fears of further attacks, Russia imposed heavy security measures, including internet disruptions and anti-drone defenses, across parts of Moscow.

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Red Square parade took place without the usual display of tanks, armored vehicles, or nuclear-capable missile systems amid fears of additional Ukrainian strikes.

PARADE SCALED DOWN

Instead, columns of cadets from Russian military academies, servicemen, and more than 1,000 soldiers still fighting in Ukraine marched through Red Square, according to Russian state media. Troops from North Korea, who reportedly assisted Russia in the Kursk region, also attended.

The ceremony concluded with a flyover by Russian aerobatic teams and Su-25 ground attack jets trailing the white, blue, and red colors of the Russian flag across the Moscow sky.

The scaled-down event marked an unusual moment of vulnerability for Putin, who has long transformed the annual World War II commemoration into a showcase of Russian military strength, patriotism, and global power.

Foreign leaders attending included Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and several leaders from former Soviet republics.

UKRAINE STRIKES CONTINUE

This year’s toned-down parade came as Ukraine intensified long-range attacks deep inside Russia, targeting oil refineries, fuel depots, military aircraft, and infrastructure, according to officials and reports. Drones reportedly struck sites in Russia’s Ural region, more than 1,000 miles (about 1,600 kilometers) from the front line.

Kyiv said the operations were retaliation for continued Russian bombardments of Ukrainian cities.

In recent days, Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least five people and injured 37 others, Ukrainian officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of “utter cynicism” after Ukrainian authorities said three employees of the state energy company Naftogaz were killed in a strike on a gas facility in the Poltava region.

PUTIN DEFIANT

Two emergency workers were later killed in what officials described as a “double tap” strike while responding to the scene.

At the parade, Putin sought to directly link Russia’s war in Ukraine with the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.

“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers currently carrying out tasks in the special military operation,” Putin said, using the Kremlin’s term for the war in Ukraine.

Yet the shortened parade underscored growing signs that even Moscow is no longer insulated from a war now lasting more than four years.

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