Putin Rips NATO Aggression At Scaled-Down Victory Day Parade As Ceasefire Holds

By many accounts Russia's Saturday Victory Day parade and memorial observances in Moscow's Red Square were once again muted and somewhat scaled down compared to the immense pageantry which marked the pre-Ukraine war years.

President Putin used the occasion while speaking in front of thousands of military personnel and flanked by a handful of world leaders to take swipes at NATO and the West, saying he's fighting "just" war and called Ukraine an "aggressive force" that is being "armed and supported by the whole bloc of NATO".

"The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today," Putin said. "They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward." He added: "I firmly believe that our cause is just."

The three-day Ukraine ceasefire announced and backed by President Trump appears to be holding, as no drone attacks have been registered on Moscow or other parts of the country. Large-scale drone waves were coming on a daily basis throughout last week. Massive bombardment of Ukraine has also ceased. Ukraine's Zelensky had reportedly ordered his armed forces to adhere to the short ceasefire:

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on Friday (May 8) ordering the Ukrainian military not to attack the parade. He also confirmed that his government would adhere to the ceasefire and the prisoner swap of 1,000 detainees from each side.

"Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home," Zelensky said, referring to the historic site in Moscow where the annual event is held.

The Kremlin has over the past days repeatedly warned that Kiev would come under immense bombing if the parade did get attacked, and went so far as to tell foreign diplomats they should evacuate the Ukrainian capital in such a scenario.

Among the foreign leaders that attended Saturday V-Day included Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysia Supreme Leader Sultan Ibrahim, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The NY Times (and a lot of other Western media outlets) is reading all of this as a 'loss' and reputational hit for Putin, again given the scaled-down and lower key nature of everything.

Happy Great Victory Day! pic.twitter.com/trYNYEz1K2

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) May 9, 2026

"President Vladimir V. Putin has cultivated the annual Victory Day parade commemorating the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany into a cornerstone of Russian patriotic ritual," NYT wrote. "Tanks and nuclear launchers roll across Red Square in a showcase of military prowess and righteous pride that the Kremlin has used to justify the country’s great-power posture toward the West."

But then the report underscores that "Moscow is under a heavy security presence as Ukraine rattles Russia with long-range drone and missile strikes. The Russian authorities have appeared exposed as they acknowledged that the beefed-up security was intended to protect Mr. Putin."

Face-to-face on Red Square! - Putin speaks with DPRK commander after V-Day parade pic.twitter.com/7Ica2VaaRM

— Viory Video (@vioryvideo) May 9, 2026

It further highlighted: "The parade on Saturday included none of the usual muscle-flexing missiles and armor. Personnel from Russian military academies and other servicemen made their way through Russia’s most famous square."