Russian military parade on Red Square once again had only one tank

• This year’s Victory Day military parade on Moscow’s Red Square featured a single tank from World War II.
• The war between Russia and Ukraine resulted in the loss of thousands of tanks.
• Russia has sometimes sent obsolete Soviet-era tanks to the front.

Russia often uses its annual military parade on Moscow’s Red Square to show off its weaponry. This year’s performance was a bit lackluster and its modern tanks were once again absent.

While a series of tanks, old and new, are usually featured in the May 9 Victory Day military parade, which commemorates the lives lost and victory won when the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany in 1945 , at this year’s event there was only one World War II T-34 on display.

This year marks the second year in a row that the float element of the Russian parade has been particularly low-key, featuring only one float from a bygone era. Analysts called last year’s event embarrassing for Russia, and similar observations have been made this year.

The absence of modern tanks at the military parade in some ways reflects Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about at the event, praising the heroes of “l ‘special military operation’.

Although Russia managed to significantly rebuild its military strength to what it had at the start of its invasion of Ukraine, it also lost thousands of tanks. and much of its armored personnel in Ukraine with anti-tank missiles, mines and drones.

In February, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Russia had lost more than 3,000 tanks since its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed dozens of Russian tanks on the Donetsk battlefield.

Moscow cannot reliably deploy what is supposed to be its most advanced tank, the expensive T-14, and it has lost enough of its other tanks, like its T-72, T-80 and T-90, to During battles that sometimes sent obsolete Soviet-era tanks, such as the old T-62 and T-54, from storage to the front lines.

During the parade, Russian soldiers were seen carrying what appeared to be drone jammers, likely a reaction to the attack potential of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. The Russian capital has already been hit and Ukraine is increasingly carrying out long-range drone strikes on Russian territory.

Although Russian tanks were sorely lacking, other modern Russian weapons appeared, such as Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles. Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russia has regularly brandished the nuclear saber.

In his speech at the event, President Vladimir Putin spoke of Russia’s strength and preparedness, targeting Western countries and Ukraine.

“We will not let anyone threaten us,” he said. “Our strategic forces are always on combat alert.”