Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday oversaw a scaled-down Victory Day parade on Red Square, voicing confidence of victory in Ukraine. For the first time in nearly two decades, the parade took place without tanks or heavy weapons.
Putin declared Russian troops are fighting for a "just cause" against an aggressive force backed by NATO. "Victory has always been and will be ours," he said.
The absence of heavy weaponry was explained by the "current operational situation" and the need for equipment on the front lines. Troops from North Korea were featured in the parade for the first time.
The festivities proceeded under a U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, announced by President Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mockingly issued a decree permitting Russia to hold its celebration, a gesture Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed as a "silly joke."
Russian authorities warned of massive missile strikes on Kyiv if Ukraine attempted to disrupt the parade. The EU said its diplomats would not leave the capital.
Allied leaders from Malaysia, Laos, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus attended. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a European Union member, laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier but avoided the parade itself.