Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have escalated sharply ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day commemorations, with Moscow tightening security, reporting drone attacks near the capital and warning of retaliation if Ukraine disrupts the annual parade.
Russian authorities said air defences shot down dozens of drones targeting Moscow this week as the Kremlin prepared for one of its most symbolic national events. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 32 drones aimed at the capital were intercepted on Wednesday, while Russian officials described the attacks as part of a broader Ukrainian effort to disrupt Victory Day activities.
The May 9 parade marks the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and has become a central element of President Vladimir Putin’s political messaging. In recent years, he has used the ceremony to link Russia’s wartime history to its current war in Ukraine, portraying Russian troops as heirs to the Soviet soldiers who fought fascism.
Security measures in Moscow have been intensified ahead of the event. Russian officials said additional steps were being taken to protect Putin and visiting dignitaries, while reports said Moscow had scaled back parts of the parade and imposed mobile internet restrictions because of drone threats.
The military tensions have also been accompanied by competing ceasefire proposals. Russia declared a temporary truce for May 8 and 9, saying it would coincide with Victory Day commemorations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the move as politically staged and called instead for a longer, more credible ceasefire with clear guarantees.
Kyiv has accused Moscow of using the holiday pause to shield its parade while continuing attacks before and after the commemoration. Zelenskyy said Russia’s approach showed “strange logic,” arguing that a genuine tribute to the World War II dead should involve a serious effort to end the current war, not a symbolic two-day halt.
Russia, meanwhile, has warned that any Ukrainian attempt to strike the parade or related events could trigger major retaliation, including attacks on targets in Kyiv. Some foreign missions in Ukraine reportedly rejected Russian warnings to evacuate, while Western governments said diplomatic facilities must not be threatened.
The standoff has turned Victory Day into both a military and political test. For Moscow, the parade is meant to project strength and national unity. For Kyiv, Russia’s heightened security and scaled-back celebrations are evidence that Ukraine’s long-range strike capability is increasingly affecting the Kremlin’s sense of safety far from the front line.
