Rosenberg: Russia's Victory Day parade with no tanks a sign Ukraine war not going to plan

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Rosenberg: Russia's Victory Day parade with no tanks a sign Ukraine war not going to planJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSteve RosenbergRussia Editor, MoscowNatalia Kolesnikova/Anadolu via Getty ImagesFor the first time in nearly two decades, there will be no military hardware at the Red Square Victory Day paradeOne word dominates Red Square right now: "Victory". The word Pobeda stares down from giant red banners. It flashes across video screens.

Close by people are taking selfies beside an art installation that spells out the word. On the square, which is blocked off by metal barriers, soldiers are rehearsing for the annual Victory Day parade that marks the defeat of Nazi Germany. Russia's national idea, constructed under Vladimir Putin, centres around the Soviet Union's victory in World War Two.

The Details

The ninth of May has become Russia's most important national holiday. But this year the 9 May parade is being scaled back. For the first time in nearly two decades there will be no military hardware on Red Square: no tanks, no ballistic missiles.

The way in which the Kremlin will be remembering the past says much about present: it's a sign that Russia's war on Ukraine is not going to plan. "Our tanks are busy right now," Russian MP Yevgeny Popov tells me. We need them more on the battlefield than on Red Square.

""But with the war in its fifth year," I suggest, "not only has Russia not secured victory, but under pressure from Ukraine you're scaling back the parade. Some would say that's embarrassing. ""What other choice do we have?

What Experts Say

"Nato countries, Ukraine and Great Britain's weapons, your king and your prime minister, are threatening us. "Yevgeny Popov, a Russian MP, says tanks are needed on the battlefield rather than on Red SquareIn February 2022 the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine was President Putin's choice. And more than four years on, the Kremlin chooses to continue the war while accusing the West of fuelling the conflict.

But the war is coming closer to home. On Tuesday two people were killed and more than 30 wounded in a long-range Ukrainian missile and drone strike on the Russian city of Cheboksary. The previous night a drone penetrated Moscow's air defences and struck a luxury high-rise apartment four miles (6km) from the Kremlin.

There were no casualties, but extensive damage to an upper floor. The threat of Ukrainian drones over Red Square has been used to justify the paring back of this year's parade. President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has spoken of the "terrorist threat" from Ukraine.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.