Russia

Putin confident of victory in the Ukraine war - parade without tanks

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow Photo: Pavel Bednyakov/AP Pool Photo/AP/dpa

Keystone

At the military parade on May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his certainty that Moscow's army will win the war of aggression against Ukraine. "I am firmly convinced: our cause is just, we stand together, victory has always been and will always be on our side," Putin said in a sharp tone on Red Square in Moscow.

Keystone-SDA

09.05.2026, 13:13

The Russian army's deployment in Ukraine today is inspired by the "generation of victors" in the Second World War, said the Kremlin leader. "They are confronting an aggressive power that is armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc," said Putin, who began his war against Ukraine in 2022. Despite Western support, "our heroes are marching forward", the president claimed.

Ukraine is receiving significant support from NATO states, including Germany in particular, in its defensive battle against the large-scale Russian invasion. The fighting is considered to be deadlocked in the war - with no real movement for either of the warring parties. The sides have agreed on a ceasefire until May 11 under the mediation of US President Donald Trump. According to the Kremlin, there were initially no violations.

Hostilities in Ukraine are deadlocked

"The key to success is our moral, ethical strength, our courage and bravery, our cohesion, our ability to get through anything and pass any test," said Putin. "We have a common goal, everyone makes their personal contribution to victory - fighting both on the battlefield and in the rear."

So far, however, there is no sign of Putin achieving his war aims in Ukraine. The slimmed-down military parade is also seen as a reflection of the situation in his war, in which Russian troops are under increasing pressure from Ukrainian resistance. For fear of Ukrainian drone attacks, Putin held the parade without the tanks and missiles that are usually on display. However, video clips of the Russian armed forces' combat operations in Ukraine were shown during the parade.

There was a minute's silence on Red Square after Putin recalled the victory of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War in his speech. Following the parade, which ended with a squadron of fighter planes and the colors of the Russian flag in the Moscow sky, he personally congratulated individual veterans by shaking hands on the 81st anniversary of the end of the Second World War.