Victory Day: This was not a normal parade with many having bought into the Kremlin’s narrative
Victory Day parades in Russia generally see throngs of people lining the city’s main thoroughfares, cheering on the tanks as they pass, the armoured vehicles and S-400 anti-aircraft systems and, the spectator’s favourite, the fearsome YARS intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a world-ending nuclear payload across the globe.
The flyover is another highlight, with the final flourish always the tricolour Russian flag trailing across the sky.
But this was not a normal Victory Day.
The public were allowed nowhere near it.
This time round the only real viewing potential was if you were inside Red Square and that is invite only.
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Russia’s scaled-back Victory Day parade compared to previous years
Normally foreign media are accredited to film there too, but not this year.
Muscovites could catch the parade as it drove out of Red Square, but there wasn’t much of one to speak of.
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Russia holds ‘scaled back’ Victory Day parade
Just over 50 pieces of military hardware, the only tank on display was the historic T-34 ‘Victory Tank’ from the Second World War. The full drive-by took just five minutes with the air show cancelled long in advance of Victory Day itself.
The onlookers we met, once they’d found a viewing spot at last, seemed sanguine about the reduced programme.
“It makes sense as a lot of the vehicles are needed in Ukraine,” Artyom told us.
‘This year they did everything tactfully’
It reflects the tone on Russia’s nationalist telegram channels.
“I must confess I was afraid that tanks and armoured personnel carriers, so necessary in the war zone, would be driven across Red Square,” wrote the well-known military correspondent Alexander Kots. “But this year they did everything tactfully.”
Granted, it tends to be the more patriotically-minded who bother to get up in the morning to see what they can of the Victory Day parade, but the mood we encountered was distinctly sour towards foreign media.
“You’re just propaganda”, “you want to say terrible things about our president”, and “tell the truth” were just some of the comments directed our way. We hear it more and more.
A Russian YARS intercontinental ballistic missile system drives past the US embassy
So many have bought into the Kremlin’s narrative wholesale
It tends to be the older generations who don’t care how outspoken they are.
That’s because so many have bought into the Kremlin’s narrative wholesale.
“It is all the US and Ukraine’s tricks,” said Andrei from Rostov, holding back the expletives. “Our grandfathers should have finished them off better, in 1945, so that this wouldn’t be happening now.”
Russian soldiers march towards Red Square. Pic: AP
Many younger Russians refuse to talk
Younger Russians tend to be more careful.
Many refuse to talk. One couple told us they would be thrown out of their university if they did.
Another woman said she felt militarism had no place in the 21st century given the war in Ukraine and other terrible things.
I asked whether she worried about calling it a war.
“It is not legal but it’s the name of what’s happening,” she replied. We did not broadcast her answer.
Iskanders, mobile short-range ballistic missile system launchers, roll by during the military parade. Pic: AP
‘If [Ukraine] could do it on the same scale, they would’
Artyom listed the three assassination attempts that have seen nationalist figures targeted and killed since Daria Dugina’s death last summer.
There was another car bomb at the weekend in which the well-known writer Zakhar Prilepin was targeted, though it was his companion in the car who was killed.
Artyom was angry that Ukraine and its Western allies weren’t bothered by these attacks.
When I suggested it might be because of the scale and frequency of Russian missile and UAV strikes on Ukrainian targets, he said Ukrainians were shelling Russian cities too, in places like Belgorod.
“It’s not quite the same scale though, is it?” I asked.
“If they could do it on the same scale, they would,” came the answer.
World
Ten explosions near international airport in India-administered part of Kashmir, officials say
Ten explosions have been heard near Srinagar International Airport in India-administered parts of Kashmir, officials have told Reuters news agency.
The blasts followed blackouts caused by multiple projectiles, which were seen in the sky above the city of Jammu earlier on Friday.
Explosions were also heard in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, in the neighbouring Punjab state, according to Reuters.
An Indian military official told the agency that “drones have been sighted” and “they are being engaged”.
It comes as tensions between India and Pakistan across the line of control around the region of Kashmir have boiled over this week, leading to fears of a wider conflict.
On Wednesday morning, India carried out missile strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered parts of the disputed region.
The retaliation came weeks after 26 people, mainly Indian tourists, were shot dead by gunmen in an India-administered part of Kashmir last month.
The government in India said it hit nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites, while Pakistan said it was not involved in the April attack and the sites were not militant bases.
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Explained: India-Pakistan conflict
Around 48 people have been killed since Wednesday, according to casualty estimates on both sides – which have not been independently verified.
India also suspended its top cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League, as a result of rising tensions, while the Pakistan Super League moved the remainder of its season to the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a conference on Friday that the US is in constant contact with both India and Pakistan.
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Conclaves are famously unpredictable affairs – and once again the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope caught many by surprise.
The newly elected Pope Leo XIV won the consensus of the 133 cardinal electors after only four ballots – a fast process for a diverse college of cardinals.
Though his name had circulated among some Vatican watchers, other cardinals had emerged as clear front-runners, including Pietro Parolin – the Vatican’s number two who would have been the first Italian in almost 50 years to become pontiff – or Luis Tagle, a Filipino cardinal looking to become the first Asian pope.
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What are the conclave’s secrecy measures?
Instead, it was the first North American to win the highly secretive process.
So, what went on behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel?
Until Thursday lunchtime, Cardinal Parolin was ahead, gathering between 45 and 55 votes, sources say.
A substantial number, but well short of the 89 votes he needed for a two-thirds majority.
At this point, Cardinal Prevost had between 34 and 44 votes.
But as the Italian struggled to grow his support during the first three rounds of voting, he stepped down from the race, endorsing Prevost instead, Sky News understands.
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Who is Pope Leo?
An internal battle between Luis Tagle and Pablo Virgilio David – both cardinals hailing from Asia – cancelled out both of their chances.
And a contender from Africa – the most conservative sector of the church – was never likely for a conclave where the overwhelming majority of cardinals had been appointed by Francis, a progressive pontiff, sources say.
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Moment new pope emerges on balcony
An American pope has long been seen as highly improbable, given the geopolitical power of the US.
But Cardinal Prevost was able to draw from across the groups making up the electors: moderate US cardinals, South American cardinals and many European cardinals all coalesced around him.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica said Prevost “certainly attracted cross-party preferences, both ideologically and geographically”.
“In the conclave he was the least American of Americans: Born in Chicago, he lived 20 years in Peru,” the newspaper said.
It added: “As a man used to teamwork, Prevost appeared to many as the right man to make the papacy evolve into a more collegial form.”
Standing on Red Square, this was an intimidating sight, which felt much more like a celebration of war rather than peace.
I could feel the ground shake as the tanks rolled past, their caterpillar tracks on the ancient cobbles providing a deafening clatter.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up in fear as the phalanxes of troops roared “Hurrah” in response to their commander in chief.
And the sight of combat drones being paraded on their launchers was actually quite sickening. Weapons that have been at the forefront of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were paraded in a show of pomp and patriotism.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin watch the procession. Pic: Reuters
Ukraine war latest: Putin welcomes Xi at Victory Day parade
For the rest of Europe, the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War has been a celebration of peace, but this felt much more like a celebration of war.
And it wasn’t just military hardware on display here, but the very identity of modern Russia.
Pic: Reuters
For this is a country that is now defined by its military and its memory. The glory and sacrifice of 1945 have been weaponised to give credence to Russia’s current course and to make people believe that victory is their right.
For Russians, it served as a rallying cry and there was applause when the troops who have fought against Ukraine marched past.
But for those watching in Kyiv and other European capitals, it was an overt warning that Moscow has no intention of backing down.
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Putin hails sacrifice of Russian troops
The parade was considerably larger in scale than in recent years, when units and hardware have been needed on the battlefield. I think it was a deliberate attempt to project an image of confidence, and so was Vladimir Putin‘s positioning of his guests.
China’s Xi Jinping was given a prime position on the Kremlin leader’s right-hand side. It was no surprise given the economic lifeline Beijing has provided, but it felt like a particularly pointed gesture to the West – that they were looking at a new world order.
Despite that appearance of confidence, there were signs of Moscow’s unease that the parade could be disrupted.
There were snipers on every rooftop. Security was extremely tight. And the mobile internet signal across the city centre was completely shut down for fear of Ukrainian drone attacks, meaning none of the international media that had gathered could broadcast any live transmissions.
After the parade finished, Putin saluted the crowds as they spontaneously erupted into rhythmic shouts of “Rus-si-ya” at the sight of him.
Another PR coup complete without interruption, he will have departed as a very happy man.
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