Overview

• Russia marked the 80th anniversary of Victory Day with a massive military parade in Red Square attended by Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and over 20 other foreign leaders.
• Xi Jinping’s prominent role at the event underscores China’s growing economic and military support for Russia as sanctions strain Moscow’s wartime economy.
• The parade featured 11,000 troops, including 1,500 veterans of the Ukraine conflict, and showcased advanced weaponry and drones used in the ongoing war.
• Putin declared a 72-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for the celebrations, but Ukrainian authorities reported hundreds of violations, including strikes in Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk.
• The event served as a platform for Russia to project defiance against Western isolation efforts and reinforce its narrative linking the Ukraine war to the Soviet fight against Nazism.