Russia’s Victory Day parade – held every 9th May to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany – is traditionally used by the Kremlin as an opportunity to show off its military power. But this year, the celebrations will be drastically scaled back. For the first time in nearly two decades there will be no advanced military hardware on Red Square. And analysts say it is a sign that Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is not going to plan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned foreign dignitaries not to attend the parade, leading to speculation that Kyiv may order drone strikes on Moscow. Ukraine has been intensifying its long-range strikes inside Russian territory in recent weeks.
Each side has declared a separate ceasefire ahead of this weekend – and accused the other of breaking it.
We speak to Vitaly Shevchenko, a Ukraine and Russia expert for BBC Monitoring.
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00:00 Introduction
00:32 Victory Day in Russia
02:10 Will Putin appear in public?
03:35 What a scaled-back parade tells us about the war
05:14 Ukraine’s military success
05:53 How are Ukrainians feeling?
06:54 How Russians feel about the war
