Vladimir Putin was left looking a little lonely as a massively reduced Victory Day parade went through Moscow’s Red Square.
A single Russian T-34 from World War Two rolled along the usually heaving route past the President.
He would go on to use his speech on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany to claim the West sought the destruction of Russia.
READ MORE: Sick firms cashing in on Mad Vlad’s Ukraine war with bloodstained war memorabilia
Usually a striking parade, this year it was thin on armour with few tanks and military vehicles used.
While the T-34 is usually what is used to lead the parade, this year it was not supported by the other many tanks that come afterwards.
Posting a clip of the parade to Twitter, Ukrainian ministerial advisor Anton Gerashchenko said: “The parade in Moscow didn't have any modern tanks, infantry fighting vehicles or aviation. It was one of the smallest in Russian history, taking less than 10 minutes.
“There was one T-34 tank that took part in WWII. No Iskanders, Armata tanks, aviation.
“The walking part of the parade mainly consisted of cadets and students of military universities, not military staff.
“Russian MoD hasn't published any information about the parade's participants, unlike in previous years.”
Ukraine guns down 'almost impossible to detect' 24ft Russian hypersonic missile
Russian officials said the reason was due to increased security threats from Ukrainian attacks, after blaming two Kremlin drone strikes in the last couple of days on Kyiv.
However, western commentators have argued that other factors are in play, namely the massive losses of weaponry in Ukraine.
Speaking anonymously to the Daily Star, an open-source researcher who wished to keep their identity private said: “Most Russian units that would normally be participating in the parade are either sitting in pieces in the Ukrainian countryside, still in Russian service waiting for the coming Ukrainian counteroffensive, or my personal favourite, now in service with the Ukrainian Army.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clickinghere.
READ NEXT:
- Kremlin gives murderous Wagner group green light to 'act as necessary' with ammo gift
- Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's MMA wins compared to Putin's ice hockey claim
- Russia sends 70-year-old tanks from museums to war — experts say it could be effective
Source: Read Full Article
