May 9, 2026, 9:15 a.mMay 9, 2026, 10:32 am
At the military parade on May 9th, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his confidence that Moscow’s army would win the war of aggression against Ukraine. “I am firmly convinced that our cause is just, we stand together, victory has always been and will always be on our side,” Putin said sharply on Red Square in Moscow.
Russian soldiers stand in ranks.Image: keystone
The Kremlin chief said that the Russian army’s mission in Ukraine today is inspired by the “generation of victors” in the Second World War. “You are opposing 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 defense against the large-scale Russian invasion. The fighting is considered to be deadlocked in the war – with no real movement for either of the two warring parties. The sides have agreed on a ceasefire until May 11th under the mediation of US President Donald Trump. According to the Kremlin, there were initially no violations.
This was the 2026 military parade:
Combat operations in Ukraine have stalled
“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,” Putin said. “We have a common goal, everyone makes their personal contribution to victory – fighting both on the battlefield and in the hinterland.”
So far, however, there is no sign that Putin will achieve his war goals in Ukraine. The scaled-down military parade is also seen as a reflection of the situation in his war, in which the Russian troops are under increasing pressure from Ukrainian resistance. For fear of Ukrainian drone attacks, Putin took part in the parade without the tanks and missiles usually on display. However, video clips from the combat operations of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine were shown during the march.
There was a minute’s silence on Red Square after Putin’s speech extensively recalled the Red Army’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. After the parade, which ended with a squadron of fighter pilots and the colors of the Russian flag in the Moscow sky, he personally congratulated individual veterans with handshakes on the 81st anniversary of the end of the Second World War. (hkl/sda/dpa)