Shortest military parade in modern Russian history held in Moscow

That is according to The Moscow Times, Ukrinform reports.

The event was nearly twice as short as the 2025 parade, which lasted about one-and-a-half hours.

For the first time in a long period, Russian ministers and deputy prime ministers were not allowed on the stands during the parade. Only members of the Russian Security Council attended – a narrow circle of officials closest to Vladimir Putin, including heads of security agencies (the Ministry of Defense, FSB, Interior Ministry, and Foreign Intelligence Service), as well as the heads of both chambers of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko and Vyacheslav Volodin, and the leadership of the Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, members of the State Duma were also barred from attending.

The parade was held without military hardware, amid mobile internet shutdowns in Moscow due to concerns over possible drone attacks.

Alongside Putin, the parade was attended by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, King of Malaysia Ibrahim Iskandar, and self-proclaimed Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, according to BBC News Russian.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also arrived in Moscow but did not attend the parade itself, limiting his visit to laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden.

In his speech, Putin claimed Russian forces were "advancing" in Ukraine and accused NATO countries of supporting an "aggressive force." He said Russian troops in the war against Ukraine were inspired by the "great feat of the generation of victors." Putin also emphasized the role of the home front, saying that workers, engineers, scientists, and inventors were "creating advanced, unique weapons systems and scaling up their mass production."

After the speech, video segments showcasing Russian military equipment – from unmanned systems to warships and nuclear missiles – were presented.

Russian troops then marched across Red Square. A contingent of North Korean soldiers also took part in the parade.

The event concluded with a flyover by military aircraft.